And As the World Comes Tumbling Down
by artcmisia
Summary: [was the Battle of Evermore] Several decades have passed since the Battle of the Five Armies and the Light of the Eldar is leaving Middle-Earth. Of course that does nothing to stop her from joining her friends in the Quest of the Ring. She has loved and lost once, but will she face the same situation again? [10th Walker; eventual LegOC; rated for fantasy violence]
1. prologue I

an: _hey guys! first off for those of you who've kept up with this fic, i wish i could hug you lot to death to show how much i appreciate your steadfastness with this zany story. and secondly if you have just stumbled upon this fic, 1. this is a continuation where Crownless Kings and Lionhearts left off so if you're not familiar with either story please feel free to read the mentioned story to keep up; 2. this continuation pertains moreso to the original canon timeline not what PJ dictated was a "suitable time lapse", and some faces in the predecessor are making a comeback but am i going to tell you right out? nope~ that's the fun part! lol i kid i kid.. anywho, i'll just shut up now and let you read so please enjoy! :)_

**I don't own anything aside from my character and the tweaked plot of this story; Tolkien owns everything obviously.**

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_prologue_

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A smile briefly graced her lovely face, as her pale blue eyes looked on her walking companion with warmth.

"She seems to be faring well."

He looked to his old friend who had come to find him looking on the two, and a slight smile played on his lips. "It has been some time since there was a smile on her face…" His smile faltered a smidge as he recalled his conclusion on the matter only a decade ago.

'_She would be better off sailing to Valinor… perhaps there she would reunite with her beloved king, along with Húldaer and Elenathiel_…'

'_There is still life in her eyes, I am sure of it. Give me five years… five years and she will smile once again_.'

'… _She will still carry the weight of the loss on her shoulders_.'

'_She has much to live for still; you know this… do you not, _Ada_?_'

"She is strong… you know this as you are the one who raised her, after all." His friend reminded knowingly, receiving a glance from him, and his lips twitched upward. "I too have watched her grow, and into a most resilient and honorable woman, if I may add."

He looked on both women once more. "There is still much for her to see, though for the moment, I believe that her grieving period is nearly come to full term." Said the elven lord.

_oO0Oo Some Time Later oO0Oo_

The pale grey mare gave a slight whinny as she and her master hurriedly shuffled aside to let a cart move past them up along the path at a rather anxious pace, the horse's ears flicking to and fro in mild annoyance at being spooked.

A slight chuckle came from her master, and she looked over her shoulder at the steed before continuing to her destination, following the cart's wake. "Seems the esteemed burglar has got the entirety of Eriador in a tizzy, doesn't he?" Wondered the woman.

It was not as if this surprised her, because it didn't; she had visited him enough times within the last count of years to know when he felt like being a socialite and when he felt like being a hermit.

Unsurprisingly when birthday-parties were on the agenda, he was the talk of the town!

The round green door of Bag End closed just as the cart that had carried all sorts of odd do-dads and other things doubled back on the winding path down, making its way to the main and likewise-winding small paths of the village, just as both horse and woman appeared at the foot of the home's gate door.

A slight furrow appeared on her brow as the woman read the sign that had been nailed to the gate front, "'_No Admittance Except on Party Business'_…" Her nostrils flared with a soft snort of amusement, and her lips quirked up at the corners. "Haven't changed a bit, have you?" She muttered. She then fastened the mare's reins to a sideboard of the fence and allowed her to graze on the verdant grass at the foot of the small hill, shrugging her quiver and bow onto her shoulder as she opened the gate and closed it shortly after stepping foot on the small path, walking up to the green door of the home.

A momentary surge of nostalgia tugged at her conscious but she shoved it away as quickly as it had come, clearing her throat and knocking on the door.

"_No thank you!_ We don't want any well-wishers, visitors, or distant relations!" Came a male voice from inside the home.

"Not even an _elf-lord's daughter!_" Huffed the woman, valiantly keeping a grin from showing on her face as she then heard a pause before hurried shuffling, and she straightened slightly only seconds before the door was pulled open from inside.

Bilbo Baggins was not the rumpled fifty-something year old hobbit he had been in a different time but rather an esteemed hobbit who had seemed to age with grace from how she had seen him a decade ago, his curly mop no longer brown but grayed with growing white patches, and had seemed to shrink an inch or so since last they met… But _there_, in his brown eyes that lit up at seeing her on his doorstep, _there_ was the only indication that he was the same halfling who had come face-to-face with a dragon and trolls and orcs and elves… the same halfling she had considered as one of her dearest friends for the last century.

"Good gracious, I did not think you would arrive so soon! It's good to see you, Eäriel!" The former burglar laughed as he stepped forward to embrace her tight.

Eäriel laughed as well and had knelt to properly embrace her old friend, beaming as they drew away and she added gently, "I wouldn't miss your birthday for the world, Bilbo!" She arched a brow in bemusement, "Seems you've been busy getting the Shire in a tizzy once again, Master Burglar."

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an: _short i know but hope you guys liked it(?)! reviews aren't mandatory but just a few kind words go a long way 'round here, so keep that in mind yeah? :))_


	2. A Light From the Shadows

_A Light From the Shadows_

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A shiver rolled up her spine, but she steeled herself from letting an ounce of fear bleed into her already-tensed nerves, and her lip curled in irritation.

Months had passed since Bilbo had left the Shire to stay in Rivendell, and it was that same week he arrived in the entrance courtyard that Elrond had called on her to carry out an errand.

The Council was to meet soon, and he had already sent the twins to relay the message to the Men of Gondor and Dale as well as their kin in the Grey Havens and Lórien, thus leaving her to do so to the Dwarves of Erebor and their kin in Mirkwood. She had done as told, despite her complaints about playing messenger to '_that pompous sprite king_' she had voiced before leaving, and it was rather ironic that the day she returned from Erebor was the same day Gandalf finally came to Rivendell. They had talked of what had caused his delay, only for him to reveal with a heavy heart that Saruman had betrayed them to side with the Enemy.

The fact that the days were darker now than they were a century ago left little to no room for one to not believe this was bound to happen.

She had kept her mare in hiding in a nearby brush tall enough to hide a horse –or an elf—and made a run for the once renowned watchtower of Amon-Sûl now abandoned, not minding her surroundings as the old watchtower was in her sights, running up the winding stairwell carved into the landmark and keeping to the shadows as she ascended. Still keeping to the shadows as she had ducked behind one tall pillar, she reached the top of the stairs to find five cloaked figures clad in black slowly approaching their intended prey, and she swallowed a growl to instead lift a hand up to her quiver strapped to her back for her knives. Only a split second passed before a battle broke out, the Wraiths converging on their prey, and she in turn flew forward with her knives on hand.

The she-elf dove into the middle between the Wraiths and the ones they had pursued, fending off at least two of the pack. "Go running back to your master, filth!" She snarled as she broke away from the first Wraith only to dodge as the second attempted to stab at her ribs.

A scream of pain came from behind, and her ears cringed at the noise as it hadn't come from one of the Wraiths, before a battle cry sounded as another figure wielding a torch and a sword emerged to join her in the fray.

She glanced over at the figure as the amber light of his torch highlighted his face, and a slight bark of a laugh came from her before she ducked as he struck at the Wraith she was dealing with, casting it aflame and sending it screeching away with its robes singed. She sought to send the third fell thing away, parrying its sharp jabs with fluid ease before she sharply lashed out and sent it away back into the shadows from where it had come, looking away to see the man chuck his torch into the hidden face of the last Wraith.

The last Wraith screeched shrilly as it fell back and then fled into the darkness beyond them, its pained cry fading on the air with the swiftness of a breeze, and a sort of relieving silence settled on the tower's top.

Eäriel sighed slightly in relief and returned her knives to her quiver, turning to the Ranger, "Fashionably late, were you not?" She asked.

The Ranger huffed slightly as he sheathed his sword, his green eyes meeting her pale blue stare. "Whereas _you_ were punctually early!" A smile started to form on his scruffy face as he added, "I had expected to meet with you once we were closer to the Ford."

A soft chuckle came from the she-elf as her nostrils flared in wry bemusement, before she stepped closer to throw her arms around him, being received with just as warm an embrace. "I had a feeling you would need my aid at a sooner time, and it's a good thing I came." She remarked as they drew apart.

"Strider!" Sam's call stopped the Ranger from speaking further, to which both man and elf went to the hobbit's aid.

Eäriel took a brief once-over of the injured Frodo and she cursed under her breath, starting to speak to Sam when a second voice came from the side.

"Miss Eäriel!" Pippin said first, causing the she-elf to look at him and Merry with surprise in her eyes.

"What on earth are you two doing here?" Gandalf hadn't said anything about those two, and her softness towards the hobbit folk left her question to sound sharp with worry.

"We helped Frodo and Sam get to Bree, and Strider led us from there." Answered Merry.

Frodo gave a moan of pain, yanking their general attention to him once again.

"Help him!" Sam said as he looked to both elf and man.

Eäriel's jaw clenched slightly before she nodded, looking to her friend, "We cannot linger here, otherwise we won't make it to Rivendell." She stated.

"He was stabbed by a Morgul blade," Strider pointed out as he lifted the fallen dagger that had stabbed the halfling, letting the blade turn to dust just as he finished informing her of the cause.

Eäriel gently placed a hand against the halfling's forehead and cheeks, swallowing as his skin was already clammy and was beginning to grow cold, much to her chagrin, and she nodded. "Come, we must get into the brush; they can't track us as easily if we are concealed." She urged, looking to the hobbits and gesturing they follow as she straightened to lead the way down the tower steps as Strider lifted the injured hobbit into his arms and shortly followed her lead.

It didn't take long before the odd group reached the safety of the trees and found themselves in a clearing where there had once been a troll camp in a different time.

"Look, Frodo, the trolls that Bilbo told us about…" Sam was saying to Frodo as the two taller companions were lingering near the elf's mare.

Aeglos nickered as the man gently stroked her neck in greeting. "_I knew we would encounter the Wraiths, but I didn't think to bring anything aside from the basics_." The Ranger mused quietly as he watched his friend rifle through the pouch on her mare's saddle that held a small medicinal kit she had brought just in case.

"_Neither of us expected for them to do this… They've grown bolder in the last century_." The she-elf replied before she found what she had been looking for and said, "You beauty!" She smiled as she withdrew a clump of Athelas from the pouch, just as Frodo gasped in pain nearby, to which she ripped off a piece of the verge and chewed on it to make a salve as she rushed to his side.

"Is he going to die?" Pippin asked worriedly as the elf and man came back to tend to his cousin.

Eäriel spat out the salve to begin dabbing gently at the hobbit's wound on his shoulder, biting her lip as he flinched and gasped as if for air, to which she shushed him and kept her eyes on his oddly-brightened and widened blue eyes, "Not so long as I breathe, but this will not be enough to completely heal him. He needs the skill of my uncle."

"We're six days from Rivendell, and we are still being hunted," the Ranger reminded as he held another lit torch over their heads to let her work.

"I have Aeglos, I can carry him with me; he will be in Rivendell within two days or less." The she-elf returned, lifting her gaze from the calmed hobbit to her companion, seriousness making the lines on her brow more defined. "Aeglos is second to Asfaloth in terms of speed, and you know that I do not fear those beasts, _Gwador_." She added with finality.

Their stares held for a moment before he inhaled and nodded his chin. "Be quick about it, we will follow come morning." He lifted the hobbit to then carry him to where Aeglos stood ready, placing him in the saddle as the elleth shortly hoisted herself up to take the reins in her hands. "Be careful, _Gwathel_." He added as she paused to take off, looking up at her.

Eäriel smiled knowingly at him and nodded, glancing back at the hobbits before she kicked Aeglos' ribs, causing the mare to gallop off into the darkness. "_Come for we must hurry, my friend!_" She said quietly to her mare, gripping the reins tight as Aeglos picked up the pace once they had left the shelter of the trees behind them.

_oO0Oo_

Aeglos raced through the brush as daylight came upon them, having galloped through the last night and only slowing a bit once dawn had come, appearing as a nearly-white streak that cut through the small trees that had sprouted in the once-rolling grasslands of the Bruinen valley.

Sharp ears pricking as the all-but quiet cracking of twigs and loose branches of the trees sounded, the she-elf took a miniscule glance on her right to spot a rider in black attempt to flank her, before she heard the same sound on her left; she swore. "Aeglos, hurry!" She commanded, knowing they were only a few hours away from the Ford, to which the mare whinnied and obeyed as she picked up the pace so she spirited out into the open fields.

Eäriel looked over her shoulder for a split second to see all nine riders were on her tail, and she growled in anger, looking ahead as she silently begged the Valar to let them escape this with their lives. She saw a black gloved hand claw at her from the left just as they were reaching the end of the valley, to which she yanked the reins and made Aeglos slam into the Wraith on her left to throw it back, gripping the reins again as the mare shot off without having need of a command as she was just as anxious to get away from the Wraiths as her master was.

Relief swelled inside her chest as they finally reached the Ford, and Aeglos made one final push as she dashed across the stream to skid to a halt on the safer side, turning with a neigh to let her master face off against the Wraiths that skidded to a halt; Eäriel nocked an arrow in her bow and glared at the fell beasts.

"_Give up the halfling, she-elf!_" The head of the party hissed coldly in common tongue, threatening to make the hairs on her arms stand on end had her willpower not dashed that fear away.

Eäriel smirked brazenly, "Try and take him, filth." She drawled, watching with cold eyes as the first Wraith started to cross the stream, and she flexed her grasp on the bow.

The waters of the Ford then began to rise in strength as a voice came from behind, commanding the waters by the power of Elbereth and Lúthien the Fair to defend them, to which the river came crashing down on the Wraiths in the visage of a stampede of horses that then washed away the foiled beasts.

Lowering her bow, the she-elf watched the waters calm once again as if they had not just been magicked into defending she and the hobbit, and she thanked the stars with an exhale of relief… they were safe at last. "That was no ordinary current…" She muttered.

"You are not above the aid of anyone, you know." The same voice that had enchanted the waters made her ears twitch and she looked over her shoulder at the blonde who had come to her aid.

Eäriel smiled wryly at looking on the fair-faced ellon as their blue eyes met. "Lord Glorfindel, I had a feeling it was you… Thank you for your help." She had once fancied him when he had tutored her in swordplay long ago, as he had fought alongside her father through many battles and was legendary for it, though now she looked on him as a wise mentor and a friend… She looked down at her fellow rider as a gasp of pain came from him, and she frowned. "Frodo…"

"Come along, for Lord Elrond is already waiting for you and your friend." Glorfindel declared, earning a quick nod from the elleth before he turned Asfaloth in the direction of the elven settlement, hearing Aeglos shortly follow their lead at a canter.

_oO0Oo_

A quiet exhale escaped her as her piercing stare roved over the aged mural partially highlighted by the afternoon's sunlight.

The painting depicted the last –and rather vain if one took the image's meaning out of its context—stand made by the son of the king against the looming and dark foe that had since been their enemy longer than she had walked the earth… The Last Alliance was not only famous among both elves and men, but also one battle she doubted she could forget as it was a story told by her former guardian.

If fate had not exhibited a cruel twist that day, then life would have been _very_ different… A rueful smile hedged her lips as she briefly recalled those words had been voiced by one she had loved more than life itself.

"If you stare any longer at that painting, you might as well become part of it." He commented as he trodded to her left from having stumbled upon her in the small corridor.

She briefly slid her eyes closed to hum and look on his scruffy face as her blue met his green. "Shouldn't you be romancing my dear sister instead of pestering me?" She jested as a smirk slowly formed on her lovely face.

Aragorn rolled his eyes and earned a quiet laugh from her. "You're nearly as overprotective of her as the twins." He said with a chuckle.

"_Not_ nearly as protective as Uncle, though… Arwen can do as she pleases and love whom she loves, and she knows that." Eäriel lightly jabbed him, turning away from the painting to leave the corridor and letting him flank her. "Suppose everyone is arriving today, aren't they?" She casually asked.

"The elves of the Grey Havens arrived just a few hours ago, and I believe the men of Dale arrived not long after…" The Ranger mused before noting the undiscernible twinkle in her eye at the thought of those who were coming, and he chuckled again. "And let us not forget about the prince from Mirkwood." He added.

Her ears tingled and the she-elf looked away with a soft huff. "I've told you before, haven't I? Legolas and I are merely friends, and we've been that way longer than _you've_ been alive." She said defensively.

"That's not how Elladan and Elrohir put it, and I may not be an elf but I know he _still_ fancies you." Aragorn scoffed lightly before sidestepping her right boot that sought to stomp on his toe.

Eäriel grumbled between her teeth, "maybe it would've been easier if you _were_ romancing Arwen after all…" She trailed off at hearing a set of hooves come to a halt from the entrance courtyard, and she smiled at the sign of their arriving guests before motioning he follow as she took off for the courtyard at a sprint and heard him follow.

Tauriel patted her gray steed's neck in thanks as he nickered at her gesture, looking to her second as he shortly dismounted his darker stallion before her gaze rested on their leader who looked about from his place next to his pale steed. "I am sure she's here." She said calmly.

Legolas' ears twitched and he looked at his old friend whose pretty face began to sport a knowing smirk, before he huffed as he started to say, "Tauriel, I swear that's not the reason I…"

"_Mellonin!_" A familiar voice exclaimed from the top of the stairwell that led to the courtyard, causing the trio to look on the brown-haired elleth with brightened blue eyes who stood there. Grinning from ear to ear, the she-elf broke the distance between them at a light jog before she embraced the redhead elleth who was first to greet her, both females holding fast to the other with a light laugh before drawing away from each other.

"It's so good to see you, Tauriel!" Eäriel chuckled.

Tauriel smiled warmly on her old friend, "As it is refreshing to see you once again, Eäriel!" She replied, letting her release her arms she had held onto to greet Elros and Legolas, giving a respectful nod to Aragorn as he had shortly followed the excited she-elf's lead to welcome them.

Giving a respectful gesture of greeting to Elros who had seemed hesitant to receive her warm greeting, Eäriel turned lastly to the blonde, and their eyes held for a moment before a smile fell on his handsome face; she beamed and embraced him in turn, smiling as he gave a squeeze on her waist before drawing back with a chuckle.

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an: _so things seem calm now, but things don't always stay that way for too long, do they now?_


	3. A Union of Stars

_A Union of Stars_

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"…Strangers from distant lands, friends of old, you've been summoned here to answer the threat of Mordor. None can escape it, you will unite or fall and therefore every race is bound to this fate and possible doom." Elrond began as he briefly glanced over the faces of those who had come per summons his children had carried out months ago, from the men of Dale, Rohan, Gondor to the dwarves of Ered Luin and Erebor and even to the elves of Mirkwood and the Grey Havens, until at last he glanced on his two sons and their sister who sat near him with the stragglers of the party that were the two Baggins hobbits, Aragorn, Gandalf and Glorfindel. His gaze rested on the younger halfling as he said, "let us see the Ring, Frodo."

Silently gulping as he stood from the chair that was rather large for a hobbit, Frodo stepped into the center of the room to deposit the gold trinket atop the small pedestal before he shuffled back to his seat at Bilbo's right, and he was rather surprised at the murmurs that arose seconds before he sat down again.

Eäriel glanced around at those gathered as there was a sudden shift in the air of the room when the tiny thing was brought into the light for all to see, before she watched with a raised brow as one of the men of Gondor stood to his feet.

He didn't look to be much older than his thirties in her opinion, and she would have dismissed him as another country nobleman's son if his neatly trimmed brown hair and beard plus his expensive attire didn't give him away… Her eyes narrowed slightly on the man she recognized as the Captain of Gondor.

It didn't surprise her in the slightest that Lord Denethor had sent his pride and joy to the meeting for whatever selfish reasons he held…

"…A pale light lingered in the west, and a voice cried out as it said, 'Y_our doom is at hand for Isildur's Bane is found_'." The man declared absently, as he wasn't entirely focused on those watching him, with his left hand now seconds from touching the small ring on the pedestal. "_'Isildur's Bane'_…"

Before he could so much as put a finger on it, Gandalf shot to his feet at that moment and opened his mouth as Black Speech spewed out like a malicious curse that caused the sky to darken above and dense tension to electrify the air. The elves of Mirkwood flinched as if in pain, as their kin felt as if a migraine were coming on, and Eäriel even covered her ears that throbbed sharply as they had once in a memory she had hoped to forget… And then the sky cleared again and the tension fled from the room, as Gandalf had finished speaking in the foul tongue; Boromir had retreated to his chair with his senses returned as the elves gathered looked to the grey-clad wizard with a mixture of relief and irritation at his actions.

"Noone has dared utter that tongue in my home." Elrond was first to reproach as he scowled slightly at his friend.

Gandalf replied, "I do not ask for your pardon, Lord Elrond, so that all who sit here will know that the Ring _is_ pure evil in and of _itself!_"

Boromir stood as the wizard retreated to his seat, "But it is _a gift_, a gift to the foes of Mordor! Why not use the Ring? Long has my father kept the forces of Mordor at bay, and by the blood of my people are your lands kept safe! Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy, and let us use it against him…!" He stated.

Aragorn was the one to reproach him this time, "You cannot use it and the same goes for everyone else! The Ring answers _solely_ to Sauron… It has no other master."

"Just _what_ would a mere _Ranger_ know of this, then?" Boromir snapped coolly as he scowled at his fellow man.

"You speak as if you would wish to unite us all under your selfish cause, yet your honeyed words mean little here, Boromir son of Denethor." Eäriel countered sharply as she stood from her chair with her piercing blue stare locking and holding to the man's gray-blue scowl, before she added with a defiant arch of her brow, "And I might add that he is _no mere Ranger_ as you said… He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn, and you would do _well_ to bow the knee to your king." She ignored the reproachful glances she earned from her former guardian as well as the men around her.

Aragorn refrained from pinching the bridge of his nose as he said, "_That is enough_, Gwathel." He received a mild look from the brazen she-elf before he arched a brow at her, to which she returned to her seat between Tauriel and Elladan in silence.

"_This_ is Aragorn, then…" Boromir mused in somewhat surprise, glancing between the Ranger and the she-elf as she folded her arms at her chest and shot him a brief scowl, before his face hardened a bit and he said as he returned to his chair, "Gondor does not have nor does it _need_ a king." He shot a look at Aragorn before sitting down.

Gandalf spoke up again; "Aragorn is right, for we cannot use the Ring."

"You have only one choice, then; the Ring must be destroyed." Elrond declared as he glanced around at the party members who had since fallen silent after the slight row between his daughter and the Steward's son… It was good to see her fire had yet to die, he would admit.

A pocket of tense silence filled the air before one of the dwarves of Erebor, a redhead one that she recognized from years past, stood up to swing his axe down on the Ring in an attempt to smash it.

Frodo flinched slightly at the blow dealt to the trinket before he looked at the dwarf to see he had been knocked back from his attempt, his axe's blade shattered in pieces and a look of shock on his bearded face.

"The Ring cannot be destroyed with any weapons we've crafted, Gimli son of Glóin, for it must be unmade by the fires of Mount Doom… One of you must take it there." Elrond reproached calmly, as he was unfazed when his younger son rolled his eyes at the dwarf's foolishness only to be scolded via being jabbed in the ribs by the older elleth present, and he looked to each and every one in the room.

Boromir voiced his opinion again, "One _doesn't_ simply waltz into Mordor! Its black gates are guarded by creatures fouler than orcs, and there is evil there that does not sleep. The Great Eye is always watchful, it is a barren wasteland with the pungent air riddled with fire, ash, and dust… Not with ten thousand arms could you enter there. It is a fool's plight." The grimness in his voice and his handsome face told her that he knew firsthand of what lay to the South, and she inwardly shuddered at the thought.

She had faced a live dragon in the past, but she doubted that Smaug was as horrific as whatever resided in Mordor… And she would sooner face dragonfire again than make herself or her friends enter that foul place.

"Have you heard _nothing_ of what Lord Elrond said? The Ring must be _destroyed!_" Legolas stated as he scowled at him.

Gimli barked back, "And I suppose _you_ think you're _entitled_ to do it!"

"And if we _fail_; what then, if Sauron takes back what is his!" Boromir chimed in.

"I would be _dead_ before I ever see the Ring in the hands of an elf; _never trust an elf!_" Gimli shouted as he stood to his feet, his words shortly followed by several voices as those gathered straightened to begin arguing amongst themselves, save five members of the party.

Elrond shook his head at the sight, mirroring Aragorn and Glorfindel as well as Bilbo and Frodo, before he looked on his daughter as she nodded to the two hobbits near her before standing tall, and he arched a brow in curiosity even though he mentally braced himself for what she was going to do… She never enjoyed senseless squabbling.

"**ENOUGH**, **ALL**** OF YOU**!" Eäriel commanded, causing some of her kinsmen to wince at her loudness as everyone looked at her, and she continued, "You're all behaving like children, shouting over the other and not only disrespecting my uncle, but having turned this important meet into a senseless affair as well! Stop mucking about and shut it or you'll have _me_ to deal with!" She threatened with finality in her sharpened voice. She held her ground as the otherwise-cowed shortly returned to their seats before she exhaled and gave a slight bob of the head. "Thank you, gentlemen."

"I will take the Ring." A small voice said then, earning the attention of those in the room as all eyes fell on Frodo who had stood up in the silence that followed the elleth's words, and he looked around at everyone as he continued, "**I** will take it to Mordor… Though I do not know how to get there." A meek light entered his blue eyes, earning a soft look from the outspoken she-elf.

Gandalf stood as well and went to the halfling's side, "I will help you bear this burden so long as it is yours to bear, Frodo Baggins." He smiled warmly on him as he stood at his left.

"If by my life or death I can protect you, I will…" Aragorn also stood to join the wizard, briefly bowing the knee to the halfling as he added, "You have my sword." He straightened to stand on his right.

"I must admit that I've never met a hobbit as courageous as you, my friend… You have my bow." Eäriel agreed as she stepped up to the hobbit and smiled warmly on him before shuffling to stand with Gandalf, receiving a brief and grateful smile from Bilbo nearby.

Shaking his head at her courage, Legolas also stood, "And my bow as well." He smiled on the hobbit before going to stand with his fellow elf.

"And _my_ axe!" Gimli huffed as he went to stand with Aragorn and ignored the brief look from the blonde prince.

Boromir also stood, "You carry the fate of us all, but if this is what the Council agrees on… then Gondor will see it done." He stood near Gimli and earned a mild look from the she-elf.

Eäriel raised both brows when hearing a slight yell before Samwise popped in from having been spying on them in the nearby bushes.

"Mr. Frodo's not goin' anywhere without me!" Sam said proudly.

Elrond also arched both brows at the brave hobbit as he remarked, "that seems obvious, given he was summoned to a secret meeting and you were not, Master Gamgee!" He noted the hobbit straightened under his stare as a smile threatened to brighten his daughter's face.

"We're coming too!" Merry claimed as he and Pippin shot forward from having been hiding in the doorway of the room, both hobbits skidding to a halt to stand with Frodo and Sam. "You'd have to send us home strung up in a bag before stopping us!" He added proudly.

Pippin chimed in with confidence, "You need people of intelligence on this sort of mission… quest… _thing!_"

"That rules _you_ out, then, Pip," Merry lightly elbowed him; Gandalf shook his head behind them as Eäriel bit back a giggle.

Elrond nodded slightly as he counted them, "Ten companions… So be it; you will be the Fellowship of the Ring!" He stated.

"Great… Where're we going?" Pippin said chirpily.

Gimli, Legolas and Boromir unanimously sported a rather puzzled look; Aragorn and Gandalf shared a look of mild exasperation; Frodo chuckled as Sam and Merry both elbowed Pippin; Eäriel laughed.

_oO0Oo_

A hollow '_thunk'_ hummed in the mid-afternoon air as the knife stuck well in the target's wooden surface, sunlight slightly winking off the finely-crafted blade.

Straightening slightly as she lifted another of her knives from their place lodged in the nearby stump, she looked on the blade for a moment and smiled slowly at the elvish weapon.

Scampering off to slay a dragon and reclaim a mountain seemed trivial compared to taking the One Ring back to the depths of Mordor… but she had made herself do this, if not for Frodo and her other friends, then because she would not sit for the possible destruction of all she knew and held dear.

"_Forgive our intrusion, Lady Eäriel_."

Eäriel paused in throwing the next knife at hearing one of the servants speak from near the covered path that connected to the rest of the compound, and she glanced over her shoulder at the lanky ellon with –much to her general surprise—Boromir at his side. She nodded slightly before replying in Sindarin, "_It is fine, let him pass_." She turned her stare back on the target and heard the ellon dismiss himself to leave she and the man alone, and she held the blade's handle delicately between her first three fingers. "Whatever seems to be the problem?" She wondered absently.

Boromir watched the knife sail through the air to stick in the middle of the rounded target's face, briefly wondering if she was as ferocious in battle as he had heard, before he cleared his throat. "I had hoped to apologize for my words a few days ago, milady. I did not think Lord Elrond would allow one of his daughters to participate in a Council meet of such a grim topic." He said.

"On the contrary, I joined the meeting because, despite what men with titles bestowed on them believe, I am no mere woman relying on her emotions to defend her friend's honor… Your apology is _not_ accepted." Eäriel replied tartly as she chucked another knife at the target and watched the knife slightly quiver from the force of her throw.

"You despise me before even knowing me… Is this how you treat all companions, I wonder?" Boromir gave a mirthless scoff as he took a step closer to her.

She inhaled as her hands curled and uncurled into fists before turning to him. "Forgive me, then, for not _rewarding_ _you_ with a mug of ale and a memorable night. And if I may add, I extend respect to those who give it in turn… _Good day_, Captain." She clipped in the same tart tone, holding his scowl in hers as both sets of blue eyes held in a stare-down.

With a shallow exhale Boromir turned to the walkway and left her be with a purposeful stride, leaving the elleth to watch him go with a rather frustrated look on her lovely face before it faltered as she looked to the path on her left to see her brothers approaching.

"He certainly left disenchanted, didn't he?" The grey-eyed ellon commented as he looked at the man's retreat into the recesses of the compound.

She only huffed as she threw another knife at the target. "I've no idea what you're talking about." She said.

"Don't you, though? Seems you've made a new friend." The green-eyed ellon remarked as he stood near the stump.

"He's no different than any other entitled man, _especially_ to belittle a future king, no matter if he claims to be here for the sake of Gondor… Why should I be so courteous?" Eäriel defended.

Elrohir rolled his eyes, "Because you're going to go on a life-or-death quest with him? Besides, Aragorn obviously let it pass for the very same reason."

"He may come off as an entitled and proud man, but I imagine it wasn't easy for him to come all the way here, especially with the threat imminent and gaining strength in Mordor. We do not yet know what will come of this quest." Elladan agreed thoughtfully.

Eäriel considered their words as she retrieved her knives from the target, and exhaled slightly. "I thought you two were supposed to escort Tauriel and Elros back to Mirkwood." She looked at her brothers.

"Not until tomorrow; rather surprised she isn't anxious to journey to Erebor…" Elrohir replied, smirking at the thought of said she-elf and her odd relationship with a certain dwarf.

"Legolas does not tell me, but I know Mirkwood isn't getting any better for it seems the evil that has spread from Dol Goldur is only strengthening by the day." Eäriel mused as she handed her knives to Elladan to return to the stump.

"You're quite sure _you're_ not the one sneaking off again to go see Legolas, _muinthel?_" Elladan poked as he looked at her with a raised brow.

Eäriel's ears tingled in embarrassment and she shot him a look. "I've told you before, Legolas and I are good friends and that is all that will come of it, despite what you two think… And stop telling Aragorn about it." She reminded.

"**Yes, dear sister**." The twins said in unison, leaving her the slightest bit unnerved, to which they smirked.

_oO0Oo_

"The Ring-Bearer sets out on a quest to destroy the One Ring in the fires of Mount Doom. Those who go with him are not bound by any oath or bond, and are free to leave if they so wish. Farewell, and go with the blessing of elves, men and the free peoples." Elrond gave a slight nod to the ten before them who were to depart.

Legolas returned the gesture as Eäriel smiled for her siblings standing behind her uncle, receiving two gestures of farewell from her brothers as Arwen afforded a small smile and Tauriel nodded back, before both blonde and brown-haired elves then followed the eight with them to the path that would lead away from Rivendell.

Eäriel looked over her shoulder as Aragorn lingered to take up the tail, and raised a brow before noting his green eyes were for her sister who was looking at him with a measure of hurt in her green eyes, and she looked away per respect to her friend to fall in step with Legolas. She looked at the head of the troop at overhearing Frodo ask Gandalf which direction Mordor was and she smiled slightly at his naïveté.

Gods help them all on this quest.

* * *

an: _not much to put except that this might be it until i finish up with future chaps, but fret not! if you guys leave enough reviews i'll prolly update faster..? lol otherwise, lates. :)_


	4. Bones

_Bones_

* * *

Smoke danced up into the night air from the wizard's pipe.

Frodo looked between the calm wizard, the dozing dwarf, his fellow hobbits, and the two elves. The blonde elf had stood off to one end of their camp just shy of the fire with his back to them and his sharp ears tuned to the noises of the night. The brunette elf was pacing as she was also keeping her ears tuned to the wild around them, but he could see the irritable stride in her gait and once or twice he heard her grumbled muttering.

Eäriel was catty, and if it was one thing Frodo knew from his uncle's tales, it was that one was to _never_ incur an elf's ire.

She had just _known_ this would happen… Their provisions in terms of meat had run low and it was only a week or so since they'd left Rivendell... only the gods knew how long this quest would last, especially with four hobbits that weren't accustomed to eating small meals. She intended to hunt for them so they wouldn't go hungry before Boromir was first to volunteer to hunt, and Gandalf gave a nod for he and Aragorn to hunt for their meal.

Remembering her brothers' words regarding the Captain, Eäriel reluctantly conceded.

"You're going to make us dizzy by pacing like that, Eäriel." Gandalf finally spoke up to bring the elleth to a halt.

Eäriel folded her arms at her chest and exhaled, glancing back at the hobbits and Gimli and Gandalf as they were closer to the fire, before she pursed her lips. "Should've at least let an elf go hunt, they'd be back by now." She huffed as she turned to approach the fire and sat down at Pippin's left.

Legolas shot her a mild look before looking away to the far edge of the camp as movement caught his eyes and he relaxed at seeing Aragorn and Boromir returned. He took a seat at her left and gently nudged her arm when noting the slightly miffed look that crossed her lovely face, only to get a light jab in response.

_oO0Oo_

Aragorn looked up at the lone woman from watching Boromir train Merry and Pippin to properly utilize the swords he'd given them –to which they were catching on rather quickly in his opinion—as she stepped forward to the small sparring circle to sit with him on the gray stones.

Eäriel looked briefly to their surroundings before sitting down with her friend; she had briefly gone over the internal map in her head to recognize they were doing well on time given they were only two weeks into the quest and if they kept at it they would be past the Gap of Rohan before the month was over… She couldn't disagree with Gandalf's urge to take a break for most of the afternoon and spend it among the rocks and shrubbery of Hollin.

"Mind your feet," Aragorn advised as Merry was blocking Boromir's jabs yet did little to move his furry feet when the Captain moved his attention from Pippin to the other halfling. "You've been rather quiet the last few days." He observed of her.

"I'll relax once we're on the eastern side of the Misty Mountains…" Eäriel replied patiently as she watched the hobbits and kept an ear to the other noises of their camp, from Frodo and Sam commenting amongst themselves on Merry and Pippin's training to Gandalf and Gimli quietly speaking of which route to take across the mountains, and she slightly wrinkled her nose at Gimli's proposal. "I'd sooner choose Mirkwood over Moria…" She mused before her ear twitched at the distant and familiar noise of movement against the wind from the air; she looked up and to the south to slightly squint as she stood to her feet to see something moving as a unit in the clear skies.

She wasn't seeing things, was she…?

A grunt of surprise came from the sparring circle and drew her from her thoughts, to which the she-elf looked at the trio to find they were now four as Aragorn had stepped in to break the hobbits away from attacking Boromir in jest only to be yanked down by the hobbits; she snickered at the sight before looking at the flock of what appeared to be crows as they flew closer towards their camp… "_Damn_." She hissed.

"Crebain from Dunland!" Legolas announced.

The troop wasted no time in scattering to hide among the rocks and shrubbery; Eäriel drew their pony Bill behind one tall formation of rocks and shrubs that were close to each other and hid them both as the birds soon descended upon the camp.

She felt relief at sensing that Bill understood their need for silence as he quieted until they heard the birds lift into the air to then leave the camp, and she relaxed before murmuring her thanks to the chestnut pony that nickered in response. She led him out of their hiding place as everyone emerged from their respective places and looked to the south, "Well there goes _that_ idea." She thought aloud.

"Spies of Saruman guarding the south… we must take the pass of Caradhras!" Gandalf said with a huff as he looked to the snow-covered mountainous range to the east.

_oO0Oo_

The next day the fellowship set off to the mountainous pass as soon as dawn crept over the horizon, and it was already midday when they felt they could relax a bit at finding they were not followed from Hollin once they reached the snowy terrain.

"You make walking through snow look so easy, Miss Eäriel!" Pippin commented from walking with Gimli and Merry as both elves were walking near the front by Gandalf with the female lingering near he, Sam and Merry should they slip in the snow.

Eäriel chuckled as she looked at him, "I'm sure you could take a swing at it, Pippin…" She trailed off when her ears twitched as she heard someone slip in the snow behind them, and she looked back to see Frodo being helped to his feet by Aragorn who took the rear of the group. She reflexively reached past the fur of her coat's collar for one of her knives strapped to her back as Frodo searched his person for the Ring he'd dropped, and she stiffened slightly at seeing Boromir straighten as he lifted said trinket from the snow with bleak sunlight winking off the gold chain of the Ring.

"…Strange that we should have fear of such a small trinket… So small it is…" Boromir thought aloud as he marveled at the Ring.

"Boromir!" Eäriel declared sharply as she had approached him, watching him slightly stiffen as he was yanked from his reverie, and she briefly scowled at him before her eyes fell on the trinket in hand. "Give the Ring back to Frodo." She instructed on a more patient tone as her eyes lifted to meet his.

Boromir briefly looked away from her to said halfling to see Aragorn was looking at him in the same manner with a hand on his sword per reflex, and he scoffed lightly before conceding, "As you wish, my lady." He afforded a seemingly sarcastic look to the she-elf behind him before he stepped up to the two to give the Ring back to the shorter, "I care not for it." He chuckled and lightly ruffled Frodo's hair before turning to join the remaining members of their troop at the helm.

Eäriel flexed her fingers as they had curled into fists and looked at Aragorn with a measure of relief in her eyes before she followed Boromir and heard Frodo and Aragorn follow her.

Aside from the slight incident with Boromir that threatened to leave her in a mood, they were met with little resistance until they reached the higher part of the pass the next afternoon.

"There is a fell voice on the air!" Legolas said as he and Eäriel heard the voice of one carrying on the howling winds of the rough path.

Gandalf was quick to answer, "It's Saruman!"

Everyone then hurriedly flattened themselves as best as possible against the mountainside when the higher shelves of snow-covered rock trembled and sent a shower of thick snow and rock below.

"He's trying to bring down the mountain; we must _turn back,_ Gandalf!" Aragorn exclaimed over the winds that howled louder than before.

"_No!_" Gandalf declined before he faced the voice that carried on the winds to raise his staff a smidge and yell a rebuttal spell, and soon his voice carried on the winds to combat against Saruman's spell.

Eäriel shivered down to her boots at sensing the electrified charge that came along with a wizard's magic as both Istari clashed, reflexively pulling the frosted fur-lining of her coat closer to her neck and cheeks before she looked back at the hobbits and fought a wince at being reminded once again that hobbits were not meant for the cold. _Aragorn's right_, she thought before jumping when a crack sounded from above as a bolt of lightning connected with one of the higher shelves and caused an avalanche. "_Take cover!_" She yelled against the winds before her world went white.

The fellowship was covered in a thick blanket of snow and ice that had fallen from above thanks to the wizards' bout, and life seemed to still for a moment on the mountainside before Legolas was first to pop out of the snow.

"Eäriel!" Legolas declared before said elf popped out of the snow with a gasp before she shook her hair of flurries and he in turn helped Gandalf out from the snow as the others were also reappearing like they had.

"We must get off the mountain and take the Gap of Rohan, before heading west to my city!" Boromir said as the winds began to softly howl around them again.

Aragorn remarked, "The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!"

"If we cannot go over the mountain, let us go _under_ it; we'll pass through the mines of Moria!" Gimli proposed.

Eäriel let a visible tremble pass through her at the thought, and she looked from the frost-bitten hobbits to Legolas to find he was looking at her with tightened blue eyes. As much as she hated to, she had to agree with Gimli; it _was_ the only logical solution in this case. "There's less chance we'll run into trouble if we go in that direction and we could reach Lothlórien faster!" She agreed.

Gandalf looked at the anxiety that slowly crept into her piercing eyes as he knew she shared in his apprehension towards the ancient dwarf city, but he slightly surprised them all when he then said, "Let the Ring-Bearer decide! …Frodo?" He looked on the young Baggins.

"We'll go through the mines!" Frodo nodded quickly.

* * *

an: _short chap, my apologies, but the next chap will make up for that! :)_


	5. Into Darkness

_Into Darkness_

* * *

It was a two days' trek until they reached the West Gate of Moria. While everyone was glad to be rid of the cold and snow of Caradhras, the grimness of their hopeful path further east soon snatched that gladness from them… Well not _all_ of them.

Gimli was the only optimistic one it seemed, if she could use that word, and it was well over an hour now that she and the others listened to him as he tried to raise their morale by speaking of the grandness of the dwarf city and how warmly they would be welcomed once they set foot inside the entrance.

Eäriel rolled her eyes when Boromir and Gimli began to compare the great hospitalities and drinking of their respective peoples; she had heard this sort of talk on more than one occasion when she would visit the dwarves in Ered Luin many years past, so to say she was bored was putting it lightly.

"Dwarf doors are invisible when closed." Gimli said as he tapped the stone on his left with the staff of his axe.

Gandalf agreed, "Aye, and they remain to be closed to their masters if their secrets are lost to them."

"Why doesn't _that_ surprise me…?" Legolas scoffed slightly and ignored the unintelligible grunt from the dwarf he walked behind.

"It might surprise you, Legolas, to know it took _three elves_ to find a sealed dwarf door." Gandalf chuckled slightly from the helm.

Eäriel huffed when Legolas looked back at her, "It's not like it was easy to find, and Bilbo helped a great deal." She stated patiently.

"After all you learned, Eäriel…" Legolas muttered, glancing back at her with a slight smirk before she flippantly whacked the back of his head.

The elleth's rather smug smirk faltered as Gandalf came upon a part of the stone wall that was framed by two thinned trees, and she watched in a mild sense of awe as he parted the overcast clouds in the darkened sky above to let the moon give her light as it highlighted the hidden carvings on the stone until the doors appeared. The stone doors were framed in an eloquent manner and at the top-center of the doors was an image of seven stars over a crown and an anvil.

She smiled fondly at the image that her father had once spoken of to serve as a reminder that elves and dwarves could find a middle ground after all.

"_'The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria. Speak "friend" and enter!_'" Gandalf read to them of the runes carved.

Merry asked, "what's that mean?"

"Well it's rather simple actually, if you are a friend you speak the password, and the doors will open." Gandalf answered calmly before he turned the gem of his staff at the doors and spoke the password in Sindarin.

Nothing happened.

Gandalf tried again but he earned the same result, and he then tried to force the doors open by pushing against them.

"I don't think that'll work…" Eäriel muttered as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I once knew every spell in the tongues of elves, men and orcs…" Gandalf grumbled irritably.

Pippin asked innocently, "what're you going to do, then?"

"Knock your head against these doors, Peregrin Took, and _if that doesn't work_ then at least I'll have some peace and quiet _to think!_" Gandalf snapped in the same irritable tone.

Eäriel gently patted the younger hobbit's shoulder at the kicked-puppy expression on his face as they decided to take a respite while Gandalf thought of a way to open the doors. She looked to Gandalf before looking to Aragorn as he and Sam decided to set Bill free as the mines were no place for a pack animal, and she stepped away to approach Boromir as he stood a few feet from Gimli with her brothers' words ringing in her ears again.

Once again she recognized she had to take the high road or her conscience would never forgive her for it.

"I'm glad to see you've taken a shine to the hobbits." Eäriel cleared her throat as she approached his free side, lacing her hands at her back as she approached him. She felt her ears heating up by the second and added to steel herself from becoming a mumbling idiot, "you had little to worry for, though; hobbits are one of the most hardy of folk I've had the pleasure of befriending."

Boromir was surprised, even if he valiantly refrained from showing it, to see that she didn't harbor any animosity towards him, but he wouldn't deny that he was as confused as he was surprised. "As it seems you were suitable to advocate for them as well, in Rivendell." He caught the slight smile on her lips before she nodded and glanced away, and he chose to ask, "suppose you don't wish to condemn me, do you?"

Eäriel gave a slight chuckle and looked at him, finding she had felt the same sense of shame somewhere else before with someone much shorter than the Captain. "Suppose I'm not the most docile woman you've traded barbs with, am I?" She returned.

"No, in fact." Boromir chuckled, looking at her as she quietly laughed, and he slightly bobbed his head in a measure of respect, "I must apologize for I fear I've forgotten how to speak with courtesy to a lady of court." He said.

"Formalities are wasted on me, I'm afraid; I haven't been a '_lady of court'_ for longer than a century." That's what it was… That same manner and his standing in the world… No, but this was just a coincidence. _Wasn't it?_ "S' the only reason I've favored the Wild moreso than the company of my people… I wasn't the docile elleth Elrond aspired me to be." Eäriel slightly waved it off.

Then again, it wasn't like they had gotten off to a good start in the beginning back then, was it?

"…The elvish word for '_friend'?_" Frodo's voice drew both man and elf from their conversation as everyone looked at said halfling who stood by the doors at Gandalf's side.

Gandalf answered, "'_Mellon'_."

A low grinding of stone on stone sounded then before the doors opened to allow moonlight to steal into the darkened foyer of Moria.

Eäriel turned her gaze away from the miraculously-opened doors when catching movement in the black waters not far from the narrow shore, and her eyes narrowed as the waters stilled as if nothing had disturbed them; she shouldered her quiver to follow her friends into the foyer.

"Soon, Master Elf, you'll enjoy the fabled hospitality of the dwarves!" Gimli boasted as he and Gandalf led the way in, unmindful of the ominous silence that welcomed them and the overall lack of life or light save Gandalf's gem that had lit up at his command.

"Roaring fires and malt beer!"

Eäriel wrinkled her nose as she caught the faint scent of decay and mold, lifting a hand to cover her mouth and nose as she followed Gandalf further into the darkness.

"Ripe meat off the bone! This is the home of my cousin Balin, and they call it a mine… _A mine!_"

The lone woman stiffened in place when her left toe tapped something solid that wasn't rock or bone, and she silently swallowed before looking down as Gandalf's light flickered in her direction; she imagined her face paled at coming upon what she'd come upon. "Gandalf…"

A rounded dwarven helmet covering a skull lay before her, and as the light shone on the corpse everyone now saw the skeleton of a dwarf that had been slain years past.

"This is no mine… it's a tomb." Boromir commented grimly from behind as all eyes fell on the count of several dwarf skeletons that littered the dirty floor before Gimli gave a cry of horror and pain.

"Goblins!" Legolas grumbled as he lifted a broken arrow from one dwarf's remains.

Aragorn, Boromir and Eäriel drew their swords on habit, and the lattermost was relieved to see the blade of her ancient weapon didn't glow the teal color it would if there were any goblins or orcs skulking around.

"We make for the Gap of Rohan; we should never have come!" Boromir declared.

Eäriel couldn't agree more, "Boys, start making for the exit…" She began to instruct the hobbits before Frodo was yanked back and out onto the narrow shore by a slimy tentacle that had coiled around his ankle. "Frodo!" She barked.

"Strider!" Sam exclaimed as he, Merry and Pippin tried to pull Frodo back to them, and they momentarily pulled him free before the creature in the water shot another dozen or so tentacles out to throw the trio back and yank Frodo out onto the water as the caught halfling proceeded to yell for Aragorn and Eäriel.

Aragorn, Boromir and Eäriel dove into the shallow waters to start hacking and slicing the beast's tentacles to force it to let Frodo go; the beast knocked Aragorn back and would've snatched Eäriel had her two knives not swiftly severed the tentacles it used to turn on her.

Eäriel looked back at the shore for a moment before looking at the large beast as it emerged from the waters to open its gaping maw lined with rows of teeth to eat the poor hobbit, and she lunged as she sharply cut the tentacle that held Frodo so he fell from his place high above them. She grabbed Aragorn's arm as Boromir caught Frodo in his arms and they quickly scrambled back to shore, daring not to look back at the angered beast that gave chase. "_Go!_" She commanded the hobbits that wasted no time in rushing into the darkness with Gimli and Gandalf, hearing the creature snarl in pain behind them as Legolas shot an arrow at one of its eyes, before he followed them into the mines at top speed.

A loud crash sounded then as the beast struck at the doorway of the entrance, caving the fellowship in.

Not a one could see much of anything in the inky blackness of Moria's foyer as they listened to hear naught but silence and their respective labored breathing.

"We now have but one choice… We must face the long and dark path of Moria. Be quiet and keep on your toes, for there are things much fouler than orcs in the deep places of the world; it's a four-day journey to the Dimrill Gate of the other side." Gandalf's voice drew their general attention to him as his gem's light slowly sprang to life and then illuminated the dark area.

With no other option, the ten travelers then began their trek into the dark.

_oO0Oo_

Elves favored the open skies and the light of the sun most of all, as they were a folk who did their damnedest to avoid darkness if at all possible.

It was only two days into their trek into darkness and so far nothing had come across their path and vice-versa, and she was sure she wasn't the only one who was relieved with that fact.

But she would admit, given the choice, she would take those long and tiresome days of trekking through Mirkwood over her current trek through Moria.

At least in Mirkwood she was familiar with the landscape around her, and while it was overall dim beneath the forest-roof one could at least hear and see the creatures that lived in the cursed wood, even come across something if their luck was bad.

Moria was a rather different experience in comparison.

Eäriel winced slightly as she stumbled into Boromir from behind when they came to a pause, and she looked around the Captain to see Gandalf was the one who had stopped first and lifted his light to shine over the thin cracks in the darkened stone on their left-hand side.

"The wealth of Moria was not in gold or gems, mind you, but in Mythril." Gandalf declared as he lowered the light to the ledge on their right that they had managed to avoid thus far into their descent into the actual mines.

The light bounced off many more cracks of white gems that shone brilliantly when connected to the pure source of light, leaving those who had yet to discover the wonder in amazement.

"Thorin gave a tunic of Mythril to Bilbo, as a gift of their friendship." Eäriel's quiet voice came from near the back of the line, and she had a slight smile on her lips as she looked to their leader.

Gimli, who had not spoken much of a word to his companions and had since been in a morose stupor, commented at her fond tone, "That was a kingly gift!" He would admit that he had seen little of the elleth when she would visit the princes long ago in Ered Luin, but he knew as well as any dwarf that she was considered an honorary ally to his people for her bravery in her fast friendship and rumored romance with their former king.

"Yes indeed! I never told him, but the worth of that tunic is greater than that of the Shire." Gandalf nodded before he began to lead them again, and they continued in their trek through the mines.

Eäriel glanced down at the ledge and the drop below and a shiver rolled down her arms as she wondered just what they had gotten themselves into if whatever it was had defeated the dwarves who had sought to make a settlement within Khazad-dûm.

It was the third day –or at least it felt like the third day, if her sense of anxiety to leave the darkness of Moria far behind her was what led her to assume as such—when the odd troop had come to a fork.

They had ascended a steep and narrow set of steps that were cracked in certain parts as the staircase was set between thick sturdy stone on either side, and the two men plus elleth had to ensure that the hobbits that climbed ahead of them wouldn't slip and fall; they came to the flat and even landing of the steps to have Gandalf look down one corridor to his left to the middle before him and to the third to his right and say that he couldn't recall which direction to go in.

Again they took a respite to let the wizard think, and again she could tell the hobbits –Pippin especially, as he was the youngest between the four of them—were not only anxious to leave Moria but were also hungry.

Though this time Eäriel knew they weren't the only ones who were anxious to leave the dark.

She had experienced worse things than darkened paths while hoping beyond hope for a way to get to the other end faster, but at the same time her own anxiety gnawed at her subconscious and prayed to the gods that they get through Moria quickly.

Eäriel stiffened as she looked down at the darkness below them and spotted a set of large eyes that gleamed when the light of the gem bounced off the orbs, and she watched the set of eyes shortly disappear into the dark as quickly as she had spotted them. Her upper lip slightly curled at the evidence that they were indeed not alone in the darkness.

Aragorn had told her of his and Legolas' capture of the creature Gollum some years past, and of how he had escaped by some horrid occurrence after being tortured by the wood-elves. She knew from what Gandalf once told her after the Battle of Five Armies that Gollum had lost the One Ring to Bilbo in a game of riddles –she had been shocked at discovering her dear friend's secret he had hid from even her after the battle was won and they had briefly parted ways—and the fact that he was tracking them because the Ring was no longer in hiding didn't sit well with her.

Between two men, two elves, a dwarf and a wizard, Gollum didn't stand a chance in hell of getting the Ring.

"_You saw him too, then_." He watched her slightly jump at hearing his voice as he had noticed she'd stiffened while scowling over the edge of the stair landing and thus came to her side.

She calmed as their near-matching blue eyes met and she nodded before replying in like tongue, "_The little beast has been following us ever since Caradhras… He does not get too close because of us_." A rueful smirk hedged her lips.

A pocket of silence fell between the elves as their sharp ears caught Gandalf and Frodo's seemingly private conversation (nothing was private with elves in the group).

"_That isn't the only thing that troubles you_." She murmured with a brief glance at him.

He quieted slightly at her observation and exhaled, "_You know what has resided in this… place, for centuries, don't you?_"

"_Respect was not the only reason for my not entering this place when Thorin retook it from the orcs_." Eäriel suppressed a shudder at what she had only heard tale of in her childhood. "_Let us pray we can avoid coming across it_." She muttered.

Legolas glanced over at the two men as he let his eyes rest on the thin wisps of smoke coming from Aragorn's pipe, and he commented, "_Seems you two have come to terms_." He looked at her.

"_Blame the twins_." Eäriel huffed before a smile crept onto her face, and she looked at him to see a measure of mirth in his eyes in regards to her brothers' words.

"Ah, it's that way!" Gandalf said then, earning everyone's attention as those who had sat down now stood to their feet.

Merry smiled, "he's remembered."

Gandalf looked down the right-hand corridor and replied calmly, "no, the air's not as foul in this direction. Always follow your nose when in doubt, Meriadoc." He patted the halfling on the shoulder as he had come to his side before leading the way again.

Eäriel would admit he was right about the stink, as it wasn't as stuffy as before, and she followed Boromir and Gimli deeper into the dark.

_oO0Oo_

"Let me risk a bit more light…" Gandalf muttered as his gem brightened up when the troop entered a room with high ceilings, the light bouncing off the stone pillars around them, and he heard one or two murmurs of awe before saying, "behold the great realm and city of Dwarrowdelf."

Sam slightly gaped, "there's an eye-opener…"

Eäriel looked up at the high-rising pillars that were as thick as Mallorn trees and noticed the faint emerald hue the stone gave off when the light shined on them, and her heart slightly ached as she thought of the last time she had seen green stone. _Thorin_… She slightly shook her head of those memories and looked to her fellow elf as he walked alongside her and had since fallen silent since their conversation an hour ago, hesitating to place a hand on his shoulder as she sensed his deep-set paranoia towards the darkness around them that he hid rather well from all.

Well not _exactly_ all, in her opinion.

The fellowship continued walking down one corridor until an ominous light caught their attention as it came from a small side room further along the spacious path.

Both elves shared a look at the oddity and reflexively reached for their respective weapons before Gimli stepped away to approach the lit side room at a run.

"Gimli!" Gandalf called after the dwarf before watching Eäriel run after him with Legolas leading the way as they followed the elleth and dwarf to the room.

"No…" Gimli groaned in grief as he had come to a halt before a white tomb made of stone that the light illuminated for them to see once everyone was present.

Eäriel traipsed to the left side of the sarcophagus and wracked her brain for the translation needed to read the runes scrawled on a square plate on the top –she had gone and done some remedial translating a few decades ago—before her heart sank as she recognized who lay resting in his tomb. "_'Here lies Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria.'_" Balin who was the wisest dwarf she had ever met, who had mourned his king's untimely passing, who had been a bit of a mentor for her when she had first befriended his king… She placed a slender hand on the lip of the lid and dipped her head down as she heard Gimli weeping for his felled kinsman.

Fili and Kili had undoubtedly begged Balin not to come to this place, she knew that beyond anything as he had been a great teacher to them, but she also knew that Balin had been as bull-headed as he was wise.

At feeling a hand clap her shoulder, she reached to squeeze the hand as she lifted her head and met Gandalf's wise stare before stepping back and noting the dust-coated tome he held in his free arm. She rubbed her nose gingerly and looked at the large book before glancing at the skeleton of the dwarf who had held onto the record, and her shoulders hunched as she recognized Balin was not the only friend she had lost… _Not you too_.

Gandalf recited, "_'They've taken the bridge and the second hall… We've barred the gates but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes… Drums, drums in the deep…! We cannot get out… a shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out… they are coming_.'" The hairs on her arms stood on end and she looked from the felled scribe to the wizard at his grim words.

A sudden and sharp clattering noise then made them all jump.

Nine sets of eyes looked to the nearby well that had been built into the room with Pippin standing next to it, and they watched with dread as the cobweb-infested skeleton fell down the well and dragged a long and thick chain plus the pail down into the darkness below.  
_  
So much for secrecy!_

Eäriel pinched the bridge of her nose and gave a shuddering exhale as her otherwise-male companions did the same in response to the immediate loss of their discretion.

Gandalf slammed the tome shut, "Fool of a Took; throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!" He scolded the young hobbit as quietly as he could –even though that was for naught at this point, given their position was now revealed—and snatched his hat and staff back from Pippin who winced slightly at being scolded.

Both elves ears' twitched as they heard the noise before their companions did, and shared a brief look of dread until all ten companions heard the low beating of drums in the distance that began to strengthen by the second.

Eäriel drew her sword and her face paled as her anxiety crept up her spine like a cold spider's web. "Frodo?" She asked in an uncharacteristically-small voice.

Frodo also drew his sword that Bilbo had given him to find the blade glowed a brilliant blue color as the elf's blade was the same save it was bright teal.

"Orcs!" Legolas said grimly as they heard the collective squeal of said beasts outside in the dark corridors.

Boromir broke away to poke his head out the door and narrowly ducked as two black arrows streaked through the dark to stick in the rotted wood of the door, to which he slammed the door shut and heard the other door slam shut before looking at the she-elf as they then heard the low snarl of an approaching troll. "They have a cave troll!" He scoffed with a slight nod at the other side of the doors.

Eäriel caught the unused spear from Aragorn as he tossed its twin to Boromir, and she huffed, "I always hated trolls." She turned to stick the spear into the door handle to jam it as he did the same before they backed away when their enemies slammed against the old wood from the other side.

The doors gave a tremble when the horde slammed against them again as the ten prepared for the battle.

Gimli gave a brazen growl from his place atop Balin's tomb, "Let them come! There's still one dwarf in Moria that breathes!"

Eäriel drew her knives from her back and brandished them a little as her fingers flexed their grasp on the twin handles. _For Balin and Ori_, she thought as she watched Legolas loose an arrow at the doors when a chunk of wood poked out from the other side and heard the squeal of pain from the unfortunate orc.

Only seconds passed before the doors burst open and two orcs fell back when being stuck with the respective arrows from Legolas and Aragorn's bows, and the remainder of the horde surged into the small room and was met with resistance from the ten travelers.

One orc gurgled vainly in anger as her blade stuck into its chest before being yanked back as the other orc skewered on her second knife via its forehead was kicked away by the elleth. She twisted out of the way of another orc and lopped its head clean off before lashing out at the nearest orc on her free side and ripping its throat open, turning to one side and briefly coming face-to-face with one tall orc whose ugly and darkened face was caught in a shocked state. Having frozen for that brief moment, she then sidestepped the felled orc as it dropped to the floor with a muffled '_thud'_ to look at its victorious foe and met the steely blue eyes of the Captain.

Something in her chest ached as she took note of the ferocity that resided in his eyes that stingingly reminded her of one she had loved most, and the elleth fervently shook her head for a split second to break stares with her comrade only to snarl as she blocked a downward swing from another tall orc that had seen her guard had been let down for that split second.

Eäriel tightened her grip on her free knife's handle and ripped the beast's throat open before kicking its chest so it fell with a '_thud'_; she panted and silently cursed the lack of attention she'd extended to her surroundings, looking up as her sharp ears heard the sound of chains being pulled into the room and laying eyes upon the cave troll Boromir had mentioned earlier as it was led into the small room by two helmeted orcs on either side.

The two orcs let the beast free as they rushed into the fray only to then be cut down by Aragorn and Gandalf, whereas their pet turned its sights onto Sam who dove out of its way after being shot with an arrow from Legolas.

"Oi, you big brute!" Eäriel hollered as the troll began to corner the ginger-haired halfling and she helped the men yank the oversized beast back towards them by the chains before diving out of the way as it turned with a snarl to swing its large arms and smack Boromir who had tried to help them into the right-hand wall. She gutted another orc she had unwillingly met when dodging the troll before looking at where the Captain had slightly crumpled on the floor and shook his head as he began to get up to spot another orc try to stab him from his blind side; she grunted as she sent her dagger streaking through the air to stab into the nasty orc's head from the left and felled the beast.

Blue met blue and she flashed a smile before blocking another orc from attacking her seemingly-open back, disconnecting the blades to ram both of her knives' blades into the orc's chest; she glowered coldly into the gutted beast's black eyes as its life fled in less than seconds before yanking her blades free to let it drop at her feet.

A squeal of pain sounded from another orc nearby, and she looked to see the troll was accidentally smashing its allies in the process of fighting off her comrades; she almost laughed at its stupidity.

If trolls weren't deaf or disgusting, then they were certainly daft as all hell.

The troll struck at the higher ledge where Legolas had been cutting down orcs left and right with his knives, its chain sticking to the stone thanks to the well-placed foot of the ellon who hopped onto its broad and flabby shoulders to let his next arrow strike at its skull only to bounce off and in turn he jumped off the beast's back when it tried to grab him.

Eäriel finished gutting another two orcs when hearing a yelp of fear from Pippin near the doors, looking up alertly to see the troll had turned its ire on Pippin, Merry, and Frodo, and swung its club down on where they had been prior to dodging its blow. She growled slightly in irritation towards the new orc she had blocked the blow of, lashing out to sever head from body with ease, before she broke away to lunge at another orc that attempted to cut down Aragorn.

The second orc fell at his feet with her left knife stuck in its back, and Aragorn looked at his friend after lopping the head off of the first orc, green and blue meeting before she nodded at the troll. Aragorn understood her plan without having to hear it, and he gave a snarl as he slashed at the troll's legs from behind to get its attention away from the cornered Frodo.

The troll snarled angrily at the Ranger and swung down on where he stood before he dodged its clumsy blow, giving a loud bellow of pain when feeling a sword's blade ram into its shoulder from the side, turning its attention to the she-elf who quickly yanked her blade free to scale its back.

"Legolas!" Aragorn called as Eäriel dug her heels into the beast's shoulders and held on as it twisted and tried to pull her off, looking on the troll when the elleth made it bellow again in anger and pain with a sharp stab of her sword into its good shoulder.

Legolas watched with two arrows at the ready as Eäriel made the troll cock its head back to reveal its open throat with another stab, and he let the arrows streak through the air to find their mark in the beast's neck.

The dumb brute gurgled in pain and lumbered for a couple of steps before it fell to the floor with a '_thud'_.

She hopped off its back and shook her head of dust, looking at the dead beast and yanking her sword free of where it had punctured its left lung before looking to Legolas with a nod of thanks; she looked to Aragorn nearby to see Frodo with him and exhaled in relief that they were accounted for.

Her relief was not to last long, however, as they heard the collective shrieks and squeals of more orcs outside the room.

Gandalf looked to his comrades and said, "To the Bridge of Khazad-dûm!" He ushered the nine ahead as they shortly fled the small room.

_oO0Oo_

The ten wasted no time in hurrying out back to where they had seen the pillars with Gandalf leading again, until they were then herded into one spot by the horde of orcs and goblins alike, the gem of Gandalf's staff a lone light in the darkness as it illuminated the hardened and tired faces of the fellowship as well as the distorted faces of their pursuers.

Eäriel heard Gimli growl at the ugly little beasts from his place by Sam and Frodo as she bared her sword and glowered at the beasts that sneered and grinned wickedly at her as their faces were highlighted by the vibrant teal glow of Hathelas.

There was too many for them to fight off, let alone that they were slightly fatigued from fighting the other batch of beasts, and even if Gandalf tricked the horde into letting them escape, they would still be cut down or worse…

Above all things, Eäriel loathed being cornered.

A low thrum then rippled through the air, causing the elves to first perk up, before there was a second thrum that was louder than the first; the second thrum spooked the goblins and orcs, much to her surprise, and they hurriedly scuttled back into the darkness as they climbed up the surrounding pillars like an ant colony.

Eäriel's face paled at the evident sign they were being tracked by the same something that caused an orange glow to slowly approach them from the dark, and she swallowed hard. _Oh no_…

"…What is this new devilry?" Boromir chose to be the brave one and ask their leader.

Gandalf answered grimly, "A Balrog, a devil from the ancient world… This foe is beyond any of you." He looked from the ever-strengthening glow to those with him and said, "_Run!_"

They took off once more, the low thrum –she was a fool to think that noise was anything but a growl—spurring their tired feet to pick up the pace as Gandalf ushered the nine into a small hall that led into another room with a winding staircase.

"… Lead them on, Aragorn; the bridge is near." Gandalf's instructions caught her ears as she was shortly behind Gimli, and Eäriel sharply looked back at her old friend.  
_  
What was he up to now, of all times…?_

Boromir gave a slight yelp of surprise when the staircase they crossed steeply dropped down, and he was caught from falling by Legolas' quick grab for his jerkin, and soon he led their way along the narrow staircase that hugged the wall.

The ten ran down the long staircase and turned onto another staircase that was missing a decently-sized chunk of stone in the middle that prevented them from going further down. Legolas jumped the distance with ease and turned back to his companions as Eäriel shortly followed to land nimbly, and he motioned for Gandalf first, to which the wizard jumped to be caught by both elves.

A lone arrow streaked through the air to bounce off the edges of the step infront of Boromir, and another arrow shortly followed from the dark alcove to the top left of the cavernous room.

Eäriel let an arrow fly from her bow she'd reflexively drawn to stick the unseen assailant, hearing a squeal of pain from the unfortunate beast as she readied another arrow and let it fly to strike the second assailant. "Hurry up!" She snapped at the seven on the other side of the staircase as Legolas helped her to cut down the archers in the dark.

Boromir lifted Merry and Pippin and jumped the distance to be caught by Legolas as they caught Sam who was thrown across the way by Aragorn.

"Nobody tosses a dwarf!" Gimli stated when Aragorn started to help him before he then jumped across the way to nearly reach the other side if his right boot didn't slip on the edge; he started to fall back when Legolas' arm shot out to grab hold of his beard. "_Not the beard!_" He grunted as the ellon yanked him forward so he landed safely on the step, slightly scowling at the beardless prince who seemed to sport an amused look on his face.

The upper half of the staircase crumbled and trembled when the beast gave another roar so Aragorn and Frodo had to scramble onto the more stable part as the lower edge fell below into the abyss beneath.

"_Gwador!_" Eäriel barked as another louder roar caused some of the stone ceiling to crumble and drop so the large chunks cut the part of staircase that the two stood on off from the remaining part of the staircase, watching with anxiety as Aragorn urged Frodo to shift his weight back so the chunk leaned towards the beginning of the staircase before they both leaned forward so their chunk did the same and allowed them to cross over. She shouldered her bow as Aragorn tossed Frodo over to be caught by Boromir as he shortly followed to be caught by Legolas.

The ten flew down the remaining steps as the chunk fell down into the abyss, and crossed to another staircase and another and another until reaching the bottom floor.

"Over the bridge, fly!" Gandalf commanded as he let the nine rush ahead of him before he brought up the rear when a more deafening roar erupted from behind them.

Eäriel felt the tremor down to her toes and she winced as well as loathed that beast for hunting them, shaking out of the creeping fear to usher the hobbits further along as they ran infront of her. "Keep going!" She ordered sharply so as to make sure they wouldn't look back at their pursuer.

They reached the bridge at last and recognized that it was only wide enough for one to cross single-file; that did little to stop the ten as they crossed until they were only yards from the exit.  
_  
Seven, eight, nine_… Eäriel turned at counting both Legolas and Gimli as they were last to cross before looking at the bridge behind them to see Gandalf standing at the middle to face the monster. She straightened as the same creeping fear sought to make her tremble down to her boots when the Balrog emerged from the thin firewall that had ushered it into view, the beast itself nearly the size of three trolls together with a ram's skull and claws and a wing span like that of a dragon, watching with dread as its glowing white-hot eyes glowered at its prey.

"You cannot pass!" Gandalf shouted as he stood alone against the intimidating beast.

Frodo cried from behind her, "Gandalf!"

Gandalf didn't turn to flee and instead stood his ground, "I am a servant of the Secret Fire, Wielder of the Flame of Anor…" His gem's light brightened so it formed a protective sphere around the wizard as the beast brandished a sword of flames in threat. "The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udûn!" He cried even as the beast slammed its blade onto the shield only for the shield to make it so it fell back.

The Balrog roared in anger at the insolent Istari as it brandished a whip of white-hot flames next.

"Go back to the Shadow!" Gandalf commanded before the beast took a step closer and caused the bridge to quake beneath it; he raised his staff and Glamdring in hand and thundered, "_You shall not pass!_" He slammed both weapons down onto the stone bridge.

The beast made to come closer when the bridge gave way under it, and it then fell into the abyss below. Gandalf gave a slight huff before he turned to join them when the sharp crack of a whip sounded from the dark, and the flame whip snagged on his ankle to pull him down so Glamdring and his staff slipped from his grasp.

"_Gandalf!_" Frodo yelled as he was first to try and rush to the wizard's aid before Boromir grabbed him from behind and kept him from endangering himself.

Eäriel looked desperately to her friends from looking to the wizard who clung to the chipped edges of the broken bridge, "We must help him!" She declared and started to run to the wizard before Legolas grabbed her arm, and she tugged and squirmed, looking at their leader, "_Gandalf!_" She cried.  
_  
Not again, no, please, not again…!_

"Fly you fools!" With a final look at his companions, namely the distraught Frodo and the desperate Eäriel, Gandalf let go of the edge to fall.

"**NO**!" Frodo yelled the wizard's name as another round of arrows began to rain on them from the dark on the other side of the bridge.

Eäriel gritted her teeth as the tears threatened to fall down her cheeks and she yanked her arm free at last to turn and sprint for the exit as fast as her feet could carry her, and she didn't stop running even after she heard her companions run after her lead until the bright sunlight hit her face. She came to a halt and gripped her sides as a strangled sob escaped her lungs that desperately clung to the intake of fresh non-stuffy air before shutting her eyes against the hot tears that fell down her dirtied cheeks as she wept.

Her dearest friend who had watched her grow into the woman she was, who had taught her about compassion and patience with other living creatures and races, he was gone… It wasn't the same pain she experienced when Thorin died, but it felt like she had lost her father all over again.

"Legolas, help them to their feet." Aragorn's voice pulled her from her grief and he did not motion to her to straighten as she took a deep breath to bring her conscious back to their new reality.

They had to flee before night came.

"Give them a moment for the gods' sakes!" Boromir snapped at his fellow man.

Eäriel quietly countered, "No, he's right. If we stay, this gate will soon be overrun with orcs… The woods of Lórien are not far from here." She gingerly rubbed her nose as blue met blue before she nodded to the Ranger.

Once the hobbits and Gimli were on their feet, Aragorn led the way south at top speed.

* * *

an: _so i might've lied about the lack of updates, but i hope you guys enjoyed this. more will come in the future so fret not yeah?_


	6. Moonlit Solace

_Moonlit Solace_

* * *

Dusk made the leaves and moss growing on the trees look golden in the dying light.

The nine quietly kept in line with Aragorn at the helm and Eäriel shortly at his heels as both she and Legolas kept their ears perked for any subtle sign that their kinsmen would quite possibly greet them before they trekked any further.

Eäriel had had experience dealing with stealth as she had led the dwarves through Mirkwood –nearly successfully as she had often thought— to avoid and evade the wood-elves' knowledge, so to say she was approaching this calmly would be an overstatement.

But, she remembered, the elves of Lórien were not as hostile towards guests.

"Stick close, young hobbits! It is said that a great sorceress lives in these woods…" Gimli quietly urged Frodo and Sam who trailed behind him, catching both elves' ears, as he added more to himself, "An elf-witch of terrible power… All who look on her fall under her spell, and are never heard from again."

Eäriel resisted the urge to snort at his deluded belief towards said Lady, as she knew her to be more or less different than what Gimli just described, and instead she thought she saw movement from the trees yards to her right; she stiffened and reflexively reached for her quiver.

"… One dwarf she won't entrance; I've got the ears of a fox and eyes of a hawk…!" Gimli boasted with a huff before they were then surrounded on all sides by elves clad in gray robes and an arrow nocked in their respective bows.

Eäriel chuckled this time even as she trained her own arrow at one ellon on her left, "And the footsteps of a bear." She slightly raised a brow when one blonde ellon stepped closer to their leader; she felt a smile hedge her lips as she recognized him with ease.

She had only remembered a few friendly faces when she used to visit the Golden Wood growing up.

"The dwarf breathes loud enough that shooting him in the dark would be child's play." The blonde Marchwarden said plainly as he shot a look at the redhead dwarf who growled slightly at his stab.

_oO0Oo_

"_Welcome, Legolas son of Thranduil_." Haldir first greeted the prince.

Legolas nodded and returned, "_Our fellowship is indebted to you, Haldir of Lórien._"

At seeing the nine travelers did not pose much of a threat, and because the Marchwarden had recognized both elves among the nine plus the Ranger, the Lórien elves had brought them to their base of operations on the outskirts of the wood. The base was nothing short of flets crafted by the elves to act as a lookout, and served to keep the elves out of sight as well as survey from a safe distance those who trespassed into their home.

Haldir extended the same formal gesture to the Ranger, "_You are known to us as well, Aragorn of the Dunédain_."

Aragorn returned the gesture before quieting when Gimli gave an indignant huff from behind.

"So much for the esteemed courtesy of elves! Try speaking in a tongue we can all understand why don't you?" Grumbled the dwarf; the lone elleth knew beyond anything that he was still miffed for being snuck up on only hours ago.

Haldir's eyes tightened in mild irritation, "We haven't had to deal with _your kind_ since darker days." He sniffed.

Gimli puffed up as he returned bitingly, "Well let me tell you what _this dwarf_ has to say!" He then bit out a curse that she had heard before, though it had been more colorful when she'd heard it.

Eäriel pinched the bridge of her nose, "_Mind your manners!_" She snapped as she shot a look at the redhead who seemed a bit surprised she could speak his people's tongue, ignoring the others as she imagined they were just as surprised as Gimli, and she shook her head as she looked to their host. "_Forgive him for his rudeness, if you will_." She slightly tipped her head in respect.

Haldir recovered faster than the others at the surprising elleth, and instead his bland look softened a bit as he nodded to her, "_Your silver tongue has yet to fail you, Eäriel of Húldaer. It has been some time since you visited the Golden Wood_." He replied.

Eäriel slightly chuckled, "_You should've called on me, then_." They had always gotten along well in the past as he had been a good friend to her mother.

Haldir smiled slightly at her remark before looking to the four hobbits and briefly scanning their faces; his sharp gray gaze fell on Frodo a second time and he said, "You bring great evil with you… You cannot go further." He added the last part to Aragorn before stepping away.

Eäriel and Aragorn shared a look before urging their friends take a few minutes' respite so they could negotiate with their host.

Legolas glanced over at Frodo before his eyes fell on the she-elf as she stood at Aragorn's right while he tried to plead with Haldir to let them claim sanctuary within the Golden Wood even if it was only temporary, and he recalled that she had scarcely looked on him since they had fled Moria… His nostrils flared with an exhale.

He hated when she tried to shut him out; even when she had refused to return to the Woodland Realm a century ago because of the miserable fate she believed awaited her there, he had been patient with her because she needed time to grieve for her broken heart, and he had constantly visited her during that time even when his father told him it was pointless to throw away his time on a woman who would never marry him.

And even if she never would, she still cared about him in her own way, as he in turn cared about her… He wished she would try to let him in again as she once did.

"_The dwarf remains to be a problem… We have not had to deal with their people for centuries_." Haldir's voice pulled him from his thoughts, and the prince glanced over at said dwarf.

Eäriel exhaled, "_If you do not believe we can coexist in the same world as them, then look to me. Haldir, they are a good folk, they mean us no harm… We must put aside our grievances, just once_." She countered patiently.

Haldir held her stare as he recalled the stories that had traveled throughout the east of the fearless elleth who had fought alongside the dwarves in defense of the Lonely Mountain, and he slightly shook his head as he asked rather sharply, "_What do you think should happen, that we will allow that dwarf into Caras Galadhon based on your testimony?_"

Her shoulders squared slightly and she replied after a moment, "_Yes. Because if the dwarf causes any trouble while we are in the Golden Wood, then on my head be it_." She met his stare with a slight hardening of her piercing eyes.

Aragorn grasped her shoulder and started to open his mouth to urge she not be so hasty when Legolas stepped up to the trio.

"_Do not be so reckless, Eäriel, not again…!_" Legolas hissed as he scowled at her.

"This does not concern you." Eäriel silenced him and she scowled back before looking to their friend, "_Do we have a deal?_" She asked.

Haldir recognized the seriousness she took on towards the situation and he paused for a moment to then reply, "_Yes_." He noted she relaxed a smidge as he nodded to Aragorn before stating so their guests could hear, "You will follow me come sunrise."

_oO0Oo_

It seemed those who had not visited the Golden Wood before were in awe of its beauty. She couldn't blame them for she had felt the same when first laying eyes on the celestial visage surrounding her.

The sunlight that had seen them into the entrance of the elven city had touched on the high-rising and thick Mallorn trees around them, causing the leaves to look gold in the sun's light as he descended below the horizon. Now that night had dawned and chased the remnants of daylight away, the leaves had turned to silver as the trees now resembled bone-white pillars that were as thick as the pillars of Dwarrowdelf. The moonlight that slowly illuminated the structure of the Mallorn trees that made up Caras Galadhon made the buildings –which weren't of elvish make, if you could bring yourself to contemplate that, rather magicked and made from the trees themselves— glow with white, reminding her of the soft moonlight that would touch on the stone settlement of Imladris.

Eäriel smiled a little as she watched her friends marvel at the beauty around them from her place at the tail of the group with Boromir while absently combing her fingers through her hair to tuck locks back behind her ears. She knew she looked as horrible with her dirtied face and equally-dirty attire as her eight companions looked if not worse off, and so she tried in a vain attempt to look somewhat presentable to their hosts. She was an elf-lord's daughter, even if she often refused to acknowledge her title when in the Wild.

The Galadhrim left them when they had ascended the stairs leading up to the dwelling of the Lord and Lady so Haldir lingered with the nine. The odd group stood on a circular flet that the small stairs where their hosts would come through deposited onto; the hobbits looked up in further amazement at the ceiling that looked like intricately woven branches painted white by the moonlight. Soon two figures silhouetted by soft moonlight descended the small stairs to greet the group of weary travelers.

Eäriel momentarily recalled that she had felt intimidated and had shrank back behind Elrond for some form of protection when she first met the Lord and Lady of Lórien at a young age. Her surrogate father had gently assured her that she had nothing to fear and shortly after he was proven correct when the Lady had smiled on her in a manner she had only experienced with her mother. Now she looked on her grandparents, if she could consider them as that, with a respective bob of her head in greeting.

Lady Galadriel remained to be the ethereal beauty that the elleth remembered from her childhood, her long golden hair framing her lovely face as she appeared as one of the Valar reincarnated; it would only make sense, given she was one of the oldest elves that lingered on Middle-Earth. Her beauty was intimidating at first glance, but Eäriel knew her to be compassionate and kind beneath the first impression. She and her husband descended the stairs hand in hand, leaving the elleth to look on said elf-lord.

Lord Celeborn bore a resemblance to her surrogate father no matter how she tried to deny it, save that his hair was moreso a silvery blonde than gold like his wife's. His face remained serious with a hard edge to his brow, and he gave off a commanding manner that she imagined was not only fierce but gentle. He looked on the group of nine with steel gray eyes, noting the shortest members straightened under his stare. "The Enemy knows you have come here; any sort of hope you had in secrecy has now fled…" The elf-lord paused to scan the nine dirty and tired travelers' faces as he tallied that they were missing one, "Nine stand before me, yet there were ten who set out from Rivendell. Tell me, is Gandalf here? I wish to speak with him, but cannot see him from afar." He asked.

A silence fell on the nine as they were reminded of their loss.

Entering Lórien and experiencing its beauty had relieved them of the horrors they had faced in the darkness, yet the question from the elf-lord left them at a loss for words.

None answered him.

His wife, on the other hand, did. "Gandalf the Grey did not enter this land's borders… He has fallen, into shadow." Her whispered answer came to destroy the sombered silence as her low voice wavered with grief that rivaled the travelers', if not surpassed it. She did not need to look to the shocked expression on her husband's face at their loss, nor did she look to her granddaughter to see the grief lingered in her piercing blue eyes.

Legolas was the first to speak from his place next to Aragorn, "He was felled by both shadow and flame, by a Balrog of Morgoth… we trekked into Moria on a needless path."

"What Gandalf did in life was not without reason, for we do not yet know his full purpose." Galadriel stated softly, earning a lift of the she-elf's head as she looked on her with some measure of hope in her eyes. She looked to the far side of the group to take note of the dwarf, recognizing the grief remained strongest with him, if not for the loss of Gandalf but for the loss of his kinsmen he had come upon while in Moria. A wave of pity came over her, and she looked on him with compassion. "Do not let the hollowness of Khazad-dûm fill your heart, Gimli son of Glóin… The world is full of peril, not just in one place." She said gently, seeing her words had calmed the dwarf; she looked past the group of nine as she continued, addressing them all. "As it is in all lands, love is now muddled with grief." The last word rang sharpest among the group of travelers, and her gaze fell on Boromir.

Eäriel glanced at him as she stood at his right and sensed that the Lady's words had struck a chord in him; she frowned softly as she believed his thoughts strayed to his home and people in Gondor.

"What becomes of the Fellowship, then? Now that Gandalf is no longer present, hope seems lost." Celeborn asked as he picked up from where his wife left off.

Galadriel spoke on a sharper edge, "The Quest stands upon the tip of a knife; if one should stray but a little, it will fall to the ruin of every soul on this earth." And like the changing winds, her tone shifted to a lighter manner. "Yet hope lingers on, while the company stays true. Do not let your hearts be troubled; go now and rest, for undoubtedly you are weary with sorrow and toil." Her eyes fell on Frodo as she added, "Tonight you will sleep peacefully."

_oO0Oo_

"… '_For after thunder came silver showers bursting like a spray of flowers_…' No, that doesn't do him justice, does it…?" Sam slightly lowered his head in embarrassment.

"It was lovely, Sam." The four hobbits plus Aragorn and Legolas –Gimli had gone back to his slumber—looked up at their female comrade as she finally appeared and caught Sam's poem. Her face had softened with compassion as she looked to the slightly-blushing hobbit. "Gandalf would've loved it." She added.

After being permitted to stay in Caras Galadhon for the next few days, the odd troop deemed they needed to scrub off the stink and dirt from Moria before being given a small sleeping area that housed the nine. Eäriel had bathed separately and afterward had been given a silvery blue tunic and black trousers to wear for their brief stay prior to being summoned by Celeborn to discuss what she and Haldir had spoken of the previous fortnight ago.

"You surely took your time." Aragorn observed.

Eäriel shrugged and replied calmly, "You would too if Lord Celeborn asked to speak with you."

"About?" Legolas chimed in.

She glanced at him before her gaze fell on the Ranger, "Just confirming what Haldir and I discussed last night… He extended his sincerest sympathies to you lot as well, though he didn't chastise me for sticking up for Gimli. How he's related to _Thranduil_ I'll never know." She snorted slightly even though her nose wrinkled a bit at mention of the Elvenking. She looked about at recognizing they were one short of nine and asked, "And Boromir?"

Legolas ignored her jab and stepped forward, "He's off over there, thinking I imagine. What else did Lord Celeborn speak of?" He asked her.

Eäriel huffed slightly, "I think I'm entitled to tell Aragorn of what happened, as he is the leader now, isn't he?" She didn't look at him.

"But I was the one who asked the question." Legolas retorted.

"We are not in the Woodland Realm, princeling." Eäriel scoffed.

His brow twitched and he exhaled, "Answer the question, Eäriel."

"It does not concern you, Legolas." She folded her arms at her chest and scowled.

"It concerns you so of course it concerns me!" Legolas declared pointedly.

"I am not _your_ property!" Eäriel angrily rebutted.

Both elves glared at one another, blue holding fast to blue, before the elleth turned away to stride off into the night.

Inhaling steadily, the prince looked at his companions to see they had awoken Gimli whereas the four hobbits seemed surprised at their row; he looked lastly to the otherwise-silent Aragorn. "It's not like she's the most docile she-elf on Middle-Earth…" He started.

"Just the most stubborn." Aragorn mused even as he pinched the bridge of his nose before lowering his hand and looking up at the ellon, "You know as well as I that she has not had the easiest life… And _you_ started that one." He added.

"I…" Legolas trailed off as he looked to where she had gone and exhaled before he then strode off after her.

No in fact she was not docile… Legolas knew that better than anyone. He listened to the lamenting songs of their kindred that had grown somewhat faint the farther he walked into the Mallorn forest, and he slowed his pace as he listened. She was more than the cold and vicious warrior she had made herself to be, she was also compassionate and kind… And she was incredibly stubborn, the most stubborn she-elf he had ever met.

He knew she cared for him even if her pride made her shut him out as she had done years ago.

She looked up at the tree that had been but a sapling when she had last visited the Golden Wood, momentarily marveling at the height it had reached and how proud it seemed to stand as she believed it would undoubtedly be as tall as its kin within the coming years. She smiled thoughtfully and traced her slender fingers along the bark that looked bone white in the moonlight, giving a quiet chuckle. "Perhaps I should have visited sooner." She murmured to the tree.

"It is more peaceful here than in Mirkwood." She stiffened slightly when he spoke, and he caught her glance before he too looked to the trees around them. "Rather it is what the Greenwood should be, an example my father should have kept in mind." He respected his father as well as he could, though he knew as well as she that the Elvenking had been sitting behind his stone walls for too long of years.

Eäriel lowered her hand and scowled slightly. "Don't patronize me, for I'm not in the mood to talk with you." She remarked, folding her arms at her chest as she looked at him.

Legolas resisted the urge to let her remark make his resolve to bring peace between them falter, and he instead exhaled shortly. "You once thought you could, if I recall." Before she began her pilgrimage of peace, as his father had put it once after the ordeal had since passed.

"I was not the elf I am now, was I? If you're going to bring _that_ up, then I might as well travel on to Erebor again. At least the princes treat me better than my own kind…" Eäriel scoffed as she started to leave his presence.

"Then I will tell you as I once told you a century ago; you are not a dwarf, you do not owe anything to their people anymore, Eäriel." Legolas shot back as he curbed his exasperated tone, once again cursing her bullheaded-ness.

Eäriel bristled slightly, "I would give my right arm for those two and you damn-well know it! I would do anything for them because they don't believe they are entitled to own me, because they are not what you and your father try to make me out to be…!" Her voice rose a decibel.

"I am not _him_, Eäriel!" Legolas snapped, watching the surmounting anger in her face be quelled with surprise as her upper lip froze in a half-curled snarl and her piercing gaze darken at his words, and he squeezed her bicep he had snagged in his grasp moments ago. "I know you love them as if they were your own, I understand that, I do not find reason to despise dwarves _because_ of _you_. You showed me they are loyal and trusting and good folk, you were the one to show me this when I could not fathom liking them because of the past." He added on a quieter tone.

Eäriel's face sobered and she turned her gaze away as she listened to him, lifting her free arm to run her fingers through her brown hair. "You are _not_ him, you're right… You are more of the king that he isn't, and I… I am _sorry_, that I have taken advantage of your mercy and patience. I mourned him for so long, and even still I feel a hole in my heart where he was, but I have been unfair to _you_ in the process… Forgive me for my selfishness." She whispered the last five words, swallowing the lump that sought to clog her throat, and she looked up at him from under her brow with softened and sad eyes.

Legolas released her arm with a somewhat-relieved sigh, instead lifting his hand to touch on the slate-hued bead that pierced the upper rim of her left ear, noting the arrow etched into the iron and he nodded. "I am not sure if you've realized yet, but you are quite possibly the _stubbornest_ woman I have ever met." He mused wryly.

Eäriel felt her cheeks heat up before she gave a soft snort and looked away to laugh quietly, meeting his softened gaze and throwing her arms around his neck, feeling him cling to her as she buried her cheek into his shoulder. "I'm not sure if you've exactly _met_ Tauriel." She remarked into the pale gray fabric of his tunic.

Legolas smirked into her hair and gave a squeeze. "To this day I haven't the slightest idea of what to do with you two." He heard her laugh quietly.

_oO0Oo_

It was only logical, in her book, that their trajectory would result in traveling down the Anduin.

She had attended the small counsel with Lord Celeborn with Aragorn, Legolas and Boromir the afternoon of their second day's stay in Lórien, and they unanimously came to the conclusion that the Great River was their best bet to go further southeast. Celeborn had concluded the meet with offering three boats along with supplies for them to take when they left the last day of their stay.

Eäriel looked at the trees she passed as she made her way to the shores of the river and recognized with a sinking of her heart that they looked thinner and their leaves fell however slowly… Their time was almost over.

She remembered Elrond had even contemplated sending her off to Valinor during the earlier years of her mourning period, and he had brought it up only once to her when she had sobered one evening, only to be yelled at in angered elvish that she would sooner face Smaug than take the cowardly path by fleeing Middle-Earth with a broken heart. She smiled wanly at the memory and exhaled as she shouldered her bedroll and medicinal bag on habit.

She didn't want to go… Not yet.

Someone cleared their throat at her left and she paused to look at the Captain; she briefly wondered when he had snuck up on her.

She smiled and gave a slight nod of greeting to her companion. "Boromir." She hadn't forgotten what she had believed while in Moria… She hoped he would not suffer as Thorin had suffered in his last days.

The Captain mustered a small smile and offered her dagger to her, seeing surprise enter her lovely face. "I forgot to thank you for what you did." He said.

The elleth smiled again and took her weapon from his hand to stow it back in place, gesturing he join her as they continued to the shore. "I am sure you would have done the same if it were me." She replied, earning a nod from him and she felt her smile falter when sensing he still carried that oddly-quiet demeanor he had been plagued with since their arrival in Caras Galadhon. "Does something trouble you?" She asked quietly, seeming to drag him from wherever his thoughts had strayed.

"No, nothing at all." Boromir gave a slight chuckle as he looked at her, "Whatever gave you that idea?" He returned.

Eäriel refrained from pressing the issue and instead shook her head a little. "It's nothing; suppose I didn't get enough sleep." She lied.

Boromir nodded again and replied, "I am not sure any of us got enough sleep." He gave another smile before walking ahead of her.

"Boromir," she trotted after him and when he turned slightly she clapped his arm, "I… Know that I am here, as a friend, if you feel the need to talk." It was all she could offer, anyway, given she didn't entirely know what was bothering him.

The Gondorian looked at her as she lowered her hand and for a moment he recognized the compassion she extended to those closest to her; he nodded again. "As a friend." He echoed on a slightly pensive note, watching her smile lightly before she took the lead with her bags and quiver in tow. A smile hedged his lips and he followed in her wake.

When the nine were gathered in a neat row before their hosts, Celeborn spoke and deemed they did not need to leave empty-handed, and so blessed the nine Walkers with gifts. Gray-green cloaks were bestowed on the travelers' shoulders, pinned with a green Lórien leaf by the respective elf that stood before each of the group; Eäriel had faced Haldir when he pinned the cloak on her shoulders and she extended a small smile of thanks to her friend who gave a slight nod in return. Galadriel then gave each of them personal gifts as an extension of her kindness and hospitality; she firstly bestowed a long war bow of the Galadhrim to Legolas; Merry and Pippin were both gifted a silver dagger with a likewise-silver belt; Sam was given a box of soil from Galadriel's orchard for him to plant in the Shire; strangely, Galadriel stopped at Gimli who was at Sam's right with nothing on hand save the compassionate look on her face as she faced the humbled dwarf.

"And what would a dwarf be gifted with by elves?" Galadriel asked.

Gimli shook his helmet-less head and replied, "Nothing." He then looked up at her, "Save to look on the Lady of the Galadhrim once more, for she is more fair than all the jewels under the earth."

Standing at his right, Eäriel couldn't help but chuckle at his flattery as the others laughed lightly at his words and even Galadriel gave a light laugh.

"Is there nothing I can give you?" Galadriel sobered, "I do not wish you to leave my home empty-handed, so please tell me something you desire that I may give." She asked again.

Gimli seemed to think of his wish as he then said, "I desire one thing, though I do not ask for such a gift, as silly as it might sound. A single strand of your hair that shines brighter than the gold of the earth is what I wish."

Eäriel bit her lip as her kinsmen sounded rather astonished at his wish, Lord Celeborn amongst them. She smiled as Galadriel only smiled back and gave him what he desired, giving not one but three strands of her hair; her ears twitched when Gimli then thanked her and said how he would treasure it as an heirloom of his house and as a pledge between their peoples.

Maybe what had transpired on that cold battlefield, what she and her comrades had sacrificed that day, had actually left an impact on the world after all… Just maybe.

Eäriel's face softened at the reality of her actions before slightly straightening when Galadriel came to her next, blue meeting blue as the latter's voice stole into her mind as a gentle hum she acknowledged she had not heard in centuries.

'_You have fought well and hard, my dear child, and grown with the blessing of the gods and guidance of your parents that you have made proud. With your past in your wake, you can only look ahead to what lies before your feet. May Eru be with you for the rest of your days, Wolf Child_.' Galadriel smiled in a proud manner that made the younger elleth smile humbly at, as she placed a parcel wrapped in slate-colored cloth in her hands, covering her hands with her own before letting go to then move on to her remaining companions.

Eäriel looked down at her gift and caught the rising sunlight wink off a metallic surface within the parcel, leaving her pleasantly surprised for the second time within the hour.

* * *

an: _soo hope you guys enjoyed this one! also giving a shoutout to **Woman** **of** **Letters** and **emily volturi** for the newest follows, thanks guys, and another thanks to **BlueEyedPisces** for the review :))_


	7. the Humbling River

_the Humbling River_

* * *

The party of nine kept to their course once leaving the woods of Lórien behind them. Aragorn, Frodo and Sam were in the first boat at the helm, Boromir, Merry and Pippin were in the second, and Legolas, Gimli and Eäriel were in the third. Legolas kept their boat at the tail as he slowly rowed with his senses peeled for whatever should try to come as he knew whatever pursued them would undoubtedly try to get closer from behind or the sides.

The prince looked up at the sky for what seemed the fourth time within five minutes as if the elleth hovered above them in the guise of a brown-feathered falcon. He still disliked when she would act on the spur of a moment and forsook the notion of giving much of any alert… He believed she only did this just to ruffle his proverbial feathers.

"You're not very subtle, lad." Gimli commented when seeing the blonde look to the sky again for the umpteenth time.

Legolas mustered an indifferent scoff and continued rowing. "What ever do you mean by that?" He returned calmly.

Gimli chuckled slightly as he extended a knowing look at the ellon's blasé expression. "The lass can take care of herself, last I looked. She doesn't need any sort of protection, does she now?" He elaborated in a likewise-calm tone that threw his companion off for a second.

Heat began to make his ears tingle and the prince felt his brow twitch. "I am not worried for her." Since when did dwarves observe more than elves, anyway…?

The dwarf snorted, "Oh aye, and my cousin Balin was a fairy." He remarked flippantly.

Legolas looked at the river that seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see when a brief squawk sounded from above and their missing companion descended with a flap of her wings. "Nothing, then?" He asked when she dropped to land gently on two legs.

Eäriel shook her head as she resumed her seat infront of Gimli, "Nothing malignant…" She caught the rather smug light in the dwarf's eyes and the disgruntled hint in the elf's voice and she cocked a brow. "Did I miss something?" She asked.

"Well, lass…" Gimli began.

"_No_." Legolas cut him off, watching her blink once in confusion before he cleared his throat and looked elsewhere.

Eäriel rolled her eyes at the general moot end to whatever the prince was trying to hide, exhaling. "If you say so…"

"Now that you're back lass, there is one thing I must ask." Gimli said, meeting her curious look and he continued, "However did you learn to speak Khuzdûl? The language of my people is hardly spoken to outsiders, as its secrets are guarded jealously."

Her blue eyes softened slightly in a memory neither of them could hope to reach. "I know it's strange, but Fili and Kili taught me in exchange for my teaching them to speak elvish. Balin helped as well if their teachings were less than correct… Thorin never knew of the exchange, though; he probably would've killed me for teaching elvish to his nephews." Eäriel laughed slightly at the thought and smiled at the dwarf.

Legolas caught the sort of sad light in her blue eyes at the mention of her beloved and he would admit she had indeed come a long way from where she had been several decades ago. "That would probably explain what he was shouting at my father that day you lot were… _invited_ into the Woodland Realm." He said.

Eäriel paused slightly at the memory before she snorted. "You probably wouldn't want to hear what he said after that discussion, then." She mused aloud.

"Dare I _ask?_" Legolas' brow twitched again when she shot him a briefly amused smirk before turning to Gimli to whisper to him what it was the former king had said that day.

Gimli failed to cover up an amused laugh as Eäriel giggled at the joke, snickering. "Thorin was always one to have the last word, wasn't he?" He declared.

"When he won an argument, yes." Eäriel smiled serenely and pretended the dwarf didn't snort again.

_oO0Oo_

'…_There is frailty and weakness, but there is also courage and strength to be found in men!_'

"Boromir?" She gave a smile to the Captain when he turned to her, nodding to his boat. "Trade places with me today? Legolas and Gimli's banter is starting to become tiresome." She said.

Only returning her request with a nod, he then walked to where the aforementioned duo were getting things into their boat as she pushed his boat off shore into the shallow waters before hopping into it with Merry and Pippin.

She knew he and Aragorn had never really seen eye to eye since they had met weeks ago, and she blamed it entirely on the fact that the Ring drove men mad with lust for power… She hated that trinket with each passing day.

Why should the hobbits have to suffer because of that accursed thing?

"I caught nothing when I scouted, which most likely means we are safe for the meantime… However long that will last." She informed their leader when they stopped at midday for a break and pulled the boats ashore, looking to him from hoisting the hobbits' sleeping rolls and taking her medicinal bag he gave her.

"That is not what troubles you, is it?" He wondered when their eyes met, knowing who she was thinking of without having to hear her say anything of the matter.

She exhaled slightly, "It's not him, I know it isn't… I've seen this before, and it was not difficult to deduce what the root of the problem was." She stated.

"I know what you mean, but I do not think it possible for them to be one in the same." Aragorn said.

Eäriel looked away as she nodded a little. "Perhaps not." Then why did she feel like she was experiencing the days after the reclamation of Erebor all over again?

"We cross the lake by nightfall, leave the boats and continue on foot. We approach Mordor from the North." Aragorn announced to their companions as the elleth shrugged her medicinal bag and bedroll near the stout rocks.

"Really? A simple manner of going through Emyn Muil, a hazardous labyrinth of razor-sharp rocks, and after that it gets better! Festering and stinking marshland as far as the eye can see…" Gimli piped up rather indignantly.

Eäriel wrinkled her nose at the thought. "_That_ sounds lovely." She muttered.

"That is our road, so I suggest you get some rest to recover your strength, Master Dwarf." Aragorn ignored her comment.

Gimli gave a disgruntled '_harrumph'_ and looked away to Merry and Pippin as the lattermost had seemed to pale at the thought of where their path led, "Pay no heed to that, young hobbits."

Eäriel looked around when doing a mental headcount and finding they were shy of a full party, catching Aragorn's eye when Merry asked where Frodo had gone, and he looked past her; following his gaze she recognized the rounded shield of the Captain… She slid her eyes closed and grumbled. "_Keep an eye on them_." She urged when she looked to Legolas, receiving a slight nod from the blonde before she led the way into the trees with Aragorn at her heels.

This was worse than before… Why didn't she go with him? Why didn't she distract him! This was her fault all over again, and she could feel the guilt she had been plagued with decades ago slowly bearing down on her shoulders… She skidded to a halt when they heard little to no signs of a disturbed forest, looking to Aragorn when his green eyes dropped to scan the earth beneath them, her ears twitching as she felt a shift in the air and she bristled. "Not now…" She murmured under her breath as she flexed her grasp on her sword's hilt.

"This way." Aragorn declared, yanking her from her observations, receiving a quick nod from the elleth as they ran further south.

Much to their general relief, Boromir had seemed to fall away from Frodo for whatever reason she didn't know, as the two came upon the Seeing Seat which was an old stone remnant of a watchtower.

Eäriel looked and listened hard to not hear anything other than the sound of one regaining their breath coming from around one corner of the flat tower, and she gestured for Aragorn to follow her as she approached said end. She looked on a familiar dark-haired hobbit who sat rather awkwardly and struck her as a scared rabbit; she took pity on him and briefly wondered what Boromir had done or said that spooked him so. "Frodo?" She gently called, making the halfling jump before he turned to find she and Aragorn present.

Frodo relaxed only a little at seeing the elleth's familiar face before he said, "Boromir and the Ring… It's taken him. I couldn't do anything about it."

"Where is the Ring?" Aragorn asked as he took a step closer to the hobbit.

"Stay away!" Frodo declared as he scrambled slightly away from the two, missing the pity and sense of regret in the lone elleth's blue eyes.

Aragorn paused slightly as he reminded him on a more empathetic tone, "I swore to protect you."

"Can you protect me from yourself?" Frodo asked, looking to Eäriel whose blue eyes were on the Ranger. He followed her gaze to ask carefully, "Would _you_ destroy it?"

Eäriel felt that shift in the air as it made the fine hairs on her neck and arms stand on end as she could sense that the disturbance was closer than it was earlier, and she was as briefly surprised as Frodo was when the latter had offered the Ring to the Ranger who only closed the hobbit's hand around the trinket. She smiled softly and her ears twitched as she looked off at the trees that had shied from the watchtower's area when hearing many footfalls.  
_  
Not now_…

"… I would follow you into the very fires of Mordor." Aragorn said solemnly as his words yanked part of her attention away from her surroundings.

"I know. Lady Galadriel told me that to be a Ringbearer is to be alone…" Frodo trailed off as he looked to both of his companions, "Look after the others, especially Sam… He won't understand." He smiled wanly.

Eäriel's heart ached at seeing this would be as far as they could go with the little hobbit and she stepped up to him to embrace him tightly and feel him hug back just as tight, gently ruffling his hair as she reluctantly drew back. "You must do this on your own, then… You don't need a babysitter anymore. We will see each other again one day, Frodo." She just hoped Bilbo could forgive her for letting his young charge go off into mortal danger on his own.

Frodo didn't miss the tears that threatened to make her eyes misty and he nodded, "Thank you for everything you have done… Both of you." He smiled again at Aragorn as the latter stood by the elleth's side.

Eäriel smiled before her smile faltered as she caught sight of the faint blue glow from his inherited sword and she looked elsewhere. "Make for the river… Don't stop for anything or anyone." She instructed as she stepped back and drew her knives from their place at her back, hearing Aragorn draw his sword and she looked at the hobbit's suddenly fearful eyes. "Run, Frodo!" She ordered, watching him leave the hill as fast as his feet could carry him, and she looked sad for that moment…

_I will see you again, I swear it_.

_oO0Oo_

Aragorn stepped out from the corner first to see a host of at least sixty black-clad beasts –Urukhai as Lord Celeborn had called them, a mutated breed of goblin and orc crafted by Saruman that could withstand daylight—that greeted the two. Brandishing his sword, he charged into the impending fray as one Uruk in the front lunged at him with a snarl.

Eäriel rushed forward with a growl of her own, knives singing as she hacked and sliced at two of the foul creatures, cutting one down before lopping the head off the second as she heard Aragorn fighting his way through another clustered group. She met four more of the beasts and grinned maliciously, "Come on!" She hummed, catching one that launched itself at her seemingly-open left flank only for her blade to ram through its throat; she yanked her blade free to let it fall as she parried the blows of another, slashing diagonally across the beast's chest to knock it away long enough for her to swing both blades out in a crisscross manner. The last two Uruks fell at her feet with their respective heads lopped clean off; she panted and flexed her grip on her knives before looking at the remaining beasts with a hissed oath. "**By Durin**!" She exclaimed in annoyance, reflexively blocking a beast's reckless lunge for her chest only to send her left boot sailing into its belly to knock it away long enough for her to chuck her knife at the throat of another beast that lunged at her blind spot, right dagger flying from her vambrance as she threw herself at the first Uruk and knocked it down, ramming her dagger's blade into the space between its eyes when it sought to attack her. She glowered into its now-lifeless eyes and shook her head slightly, lifting her gaze to see another three Uruks rushing her from amidst the seemingly-regrouped party. "Damn." She hissed.

The middle Uruk fell back, surprising her, before the one at its left fell with an arrow embedded in its forehead.

She grinned and looked at the cavalry to see Gimli rush past her to cut down the third Uruk, scrambling off the dead beast with her dagger on hand to see Legolas loose another arrow at an unfortunate Uruk's snarling maw, returning the dagger to where she placed it. "You were fashionably late, princeling." She teased as she backed into him with her remaining knife held on hand.

"You seemed to be handling things well without us!" Legolas returned with a scoff as he sent another beast reeling from a sharp blow with his bow's wooden curve, turning slightly to her to see another Uruk's ugly face caught in a shocked expression with the elleth's knife having rammed through its chest to the back. He smirked ruefully at her deadly expertise as she dropped the beast and drew back, handing the knife's twin to its owner.

Was it wrong that he found her oddly beautiful when she reverted to the cold and vicious warrior she had made herself to be?

Eäriel noted the far-off light that brightened his blue irises when she took her knife back and she paused, before the sound of a horn blaring near the river yanked the both of them back to the battle. She quickly looked to the source of the noise, "Boromir." She whispered in surprise, knowing he must be in trouble if he was calling for reinforcements…

"Eäriel come back!" Aragorn called at seeing the she-elf sprint away at top speed downhill to where Boromir was, and he started to follow her leave when another Uruk lunged at him from the side.

Legolas' arrow streaked to cut the beast down, and he lowered his bow when both green and blue met. "Aragorn go!" He declared, watching his friend nod before he followed their female's leave downhill, and he knocked another Uruk away from lunging at Gimli when he wasn't looking.  
_  
No, not again_… She had failed once, and now that the Ring was gone she recognized that in some way or somehow Thorin had come back into her life, she couldn't bear to fail again. _She just couldn't!_

Boromir could only breathe shallowly and look up at the ugly Uruk who wielded a black yew bow and had an arrow nocked and ready to end him there and then, distantly hearing the beast snarl lowly at its victory…

A feral snarl ripped through the air as a streak of brown and green threw themselves at the Uruk from the incline above, both beast and his savior clashing and tumbling to the ground.

Scrambling back up to her feet, Eäriel drew Hathelas' glowing blade from its scabbard and flew at the oversized ilk with hatred screaming in her eyes, shattering the bow with ease and rendering the beast to its crudely-crafted sword it bared against hers as it blocked and parried her sharp swings, snarling angrily at the ferocious elleth.

Eäriel drew away for a brief second when its sword narrowly caught her left arm, flexing her grip on Hathelas and she stole a brief look over at Boromir to see Thorin in his place for only a second before the Captain's shocked metallic eyes met hers and yanked her from her vision. She jerked her attention back when the Uruk descended on her, twisting on her heel to slash from below at the beast's right side, ripping its side open and lopping its dominant arm off in the process.

The Uruk rushed her despite its loss before she gave a snarl of victory as she lopped its head cleanly from its shoulders. Its body fell at her feet on its knees, and she sharply kicked it back so the dismembered beast hit the forest floor in a heap.

Eäriel panted and was slightly trembling as she glowered at the dead Uruk before spitting to the side, shutting her eyes tightly as she willed her body to relax. Returning Hathelas to its scabbard at her hip, she gave a weary exhale before her ears twitched as she then recalled her wounded comrade; she turned to see he had collapsed onto his back. "_No!_" She breathed as she rushed to his side and dropped to her knees at his left, listening to the Captain cough and splutter as he tried to breathe. "Lie still." She gently coaxed, giving a slight nod when his eyes looked up at her again.

"They took the little ones… And Frodo! Where is Frodo…?" Boromir breathed out, giving another cough before she shushed him.

"We let him go." Aragorn said as he came forward, earning a relieved look from Boromir and a small smile from Eäriel.

"Aragorn, lift his head, please." Eäriel instructed, seeing him nod before he shuffled to do as instructed. "You, you stay put… You're not going to die. I swear it, on my life…" She said as she scowled determinedly into the Captain's gray-blue eyes that seemed to constantly stick to her face like glue.

Boromir mustered a slight smile, "You both did what I could not… Forgive me, for I've failed you, all of you…" He began to apologize.

"Don't you dare say that, not now… You fought valiantly, you brave fool. You're going to live, Boromir, I'm going to save you. Don't close your eyes, whatever you do." Eäriel ordered gently before looking up at Aragorn to give a slight nod before her eyes dropped back to her wounded comrade. "This is going to hurt, but I need to pull the arrows out. What comes next is something I've only done once before, but I _will_ save you… I will save you." She promised quietly as she looked down at Boromir.

Boromir felt fear begin to seize him but for the warm and determined light that brightened her piercing irises, he swallowed the fear and gave a curt nod. He braced himself as best he could as she inhaled only to grab onto one of the arrows' shaft and yank it out from its place, slightly turning his head as he swallowed a hiss of pain.

"Keep his head lifted, _Gwador_." Eäriel ordered as she had pulled the second arrow out and grabbed onto the final arrow and yanked it out before looking at their friend. "It'll be over soon, Boromir… Just hold onto my voice." She instructed gently.

"You're sure this will work?" Aragorn asked as he looked from the injured man to their unofficial healer.

Eäriel nodded, "If I can revive Thorin from being near death, then I can save Boromir. Keep his head lifted." She said patiently before giving a steady inhale and pulled her slightly bloodied hands away to rub them together.

Aragorn watched as she closed her eyes and reached to place one hand over the other only centimeters above Boromir's heart, listening as she uttered a spell in elvish. His ears tingled as it sounded like a long and smooth river that flowed with warmth and healing… For a moment he believed Arwen was speaking instead of Eäriel.

Eäriel opened her eyes and exhaled as she removed her hands from their position, looking on the Captain to find he had closed his eyes. Anxiety began to seize her subconscious before she watched his chest heave with a breath of air and she slightly perked up when his eyes opened as he exhaled. Her shoulders slumped in relief and once again nostalgia caused her to see Thorin in Boromir's place, making her voice thick as she said quietly, "Boromir?"

Boromir looked on the she-elf whose eyes looked misty again, and he gave a slight nod, seeing her eyes brighten again with relief and warmth.

Legolas looked at the scene with relief that Boromir was alive even though he wondered when she had improved in healing others. She had told him once of how she had revived Thorin before they had journeyed into Mirkwood and he recognized that not only did she get stronger in her fighting prowess but in healing much like Arwen.

Aragorn looked over at the elf and dwarf and gave a nod of confirmation as Eäriel shuffled away to give their nearly-revived friend room to breathe, looking on her as she flexed her fingers and sighed heavily from sitting back on her knees with relieved tears standing in her piercing irises. Their eyes met and her lips formed into a weak smile, to which he smiled back.

* * *

an: _so ends the final leg of Fellowship. things will only get interesting from here on, so stay tuned guys! :))_


	8. prologue II

_prologue II_

* * *

Riding on the winds, the falcon hovered high in the air before spotting a familiar blonde below; she twisted to dive down to catch up to the four hunters as they had momentarily stopped near a small hill.

A squawk sounded as their leader lifted his head from listening to the earth's vibrations however faint they were, making the four men look to their scout who dropped nimbly on two feet. "Their pace has quickened." He informed her.

She nodded and looked to the four in general before adding, "They caught our scent, and luck is with us, for they are less than a day ahead." She smiled in a mixture of excitement and relief before taking off at a jog, "Hurry up, boys!" She said over her shoulder.

The second man huffed before falling in step with their leader as the two elves led the way, "Leaves a man to wonder if she ever slows down!" He said.

The latter chuckled at his comment.

The five had taken a bit of rest for a few hours before they had left the shores of the Anduin to follow the trail of the Uruks in order to retrieve their missing hobbits, and they had since been hunting the foul beasts for the last five days if not more.

She had been correct in deeming the proximity of the Ring had changed his demeanor, because now the Captain was more collected and honorable as he had undoubtedly been in Gondor. And with this new change Boromir and Aragorn were getting along well, rather as they should have gotten along without the Ring's influence so close… She was satisfied even if their part in the tale was yet to be over.

Night fell on the next day and the hunters five took a respite to regain their strength for a few hours before they would start up again come next sunrise.

The stars winked down on the small party as Aragorn, Boromir and Gimli got their sleep while the two elves were left to take watch.

Looking out over the grassy plains that looked azure beneath the moon's soft light, Legolas took his gaze off the quiet night to look on his fellow elf as she lay in the grass yards away with her eyes on the stars overhead. He smiled wryly at her sense of ease she gave off before he shuffled to join her in the grass.

"We were required to keep watch of our surroundings, not the stars." He reminded patiently.

She chuckled slightly, "You once told me that when we were in the Greenwood." She had ignored him then, too.

His blue eyes softened at the memory and he lightly nudged her ribs with a toe. "You didn't listen then, either, if I recall." He said.

"Mum always told me that Varda would etch our memories into the stars when we were gone." She replied thoughtfully, and there was a pensive darkening in her eyes when he looked her way. "I had been looking for my father's face in the stars that night." She had thought she had found him, only to find she had imagined it.

She still hoped, however vainly, that Thorin was up in the stars with her father, and her ancestors before him.

"You didn't find him." He didn't ask.

She exhaled softly, "No, but I know he's proud for what I did, that I brought some measure of peace to this world." Despite their losses.

Legolas watched her sit up slightly to look at him with a slight smile that he recognized on sight, and he looked up at the stars with a quiet sigh. "You are different than you were then, are you not?" She had gotten stronger and kinder and he had witnessed it all; whether or not she would adhere to her mother's final wish was for her to decide, not he or his father or anyone else.

He knew that now.

"Mm-hm… We both are." Eäriel replied as she briefly pondered on his statement before smiling wryly at her old friend. She then proceeded to punch his shoulder.

Legolas winced slightly and wondered where she had learned to punch so hard, making a sideways expression that she snickered at. "What was that for?" He asked.

Eäriel smirked serenely, "I forgot to show my gratitude for your saving the dwarves in Mirkwood." She giggled when he rubbed his shoulder and looked away with a scoff.

_oO0Oo_

Coming to a halt atop a small ridge of rock, the huntress looked back at her companions and gave a light huff. "Come on lads, we haven't been running for weeks, have we?" She said.

"And even if we did you could go as far as the Lonely Mountain and not get tired I imagine!" The Captain puffed as he came to a halt as well.

The she-elf rolled her eyes and placed her hands at her hips, "Clearly you don't know the entirety of my tales, Boromir."

The Ranger only shook his head at their light banter as he plus the remaining two members of their party had had to hear it for the last several days when they could manage, looking past their brief stopping point to the rolling hills beyond and the grass that varied in hues of green to gold. "Rohan, home of the Horse-Lords." He surmised at recognizing where their path led, adding as more of a thought, "There is something at work here, giving speed to that rabble of filth."

The prince commented from his place atop a rocky ledge yards away as he had spotted their prey miles ahead, "The Uruks turn northwest, towards Isengard!"

"Yet Mordor lies to the east." The Captain countered with a frown.

"That blasted snake." Eäriel scowled, looking to their leader, "Saruman has been plotting for the last count of years, even before he voiced his betrayal… Gandalf told me of what happened in Dol Goldur a century ago."

Aragorn's green eyes tightened slightly. "Then he seeks to rival Sauron in strength of arms." He didn't make it a question.

The five kept after the Uruks' heels, despite the day or so gap in proximity, running through another day. Legolas had briefly paused on the morn of the next day at seeing a red sun greet them so early, and with the sense of discomfort he felt at seeing the omen he continued with his companions; worrying one was the same as leaving them all on edge.

The day's passing was bleak-skied and without incident much to the ellon's relief, and their scout took to the skies as a falcon to see how close they were to their prey.

Two sets of sharp eyes were best in the Wild, as Legolas was first to spot the impending company headed towards them as they had briefly stopped in a hilly area set between two rocky formations of boulders. "There is a host of horsemen coming this way, numbering at a little over one hundred; they are armed with spears, swords and bows." He informed his friends.

The falcon then descended and landed on the solid earth as an elf. "The Rohirrim, no doubt; King Théoden's men." Eäriel clarified as she looked off to the south.

Aragorn shared a look with Boromir before both men nodded; "we will wait for them to pass so that we may receive news." The former suggested.

The two men and elves plus dwarf then trotted to the stout boulder that stuck out on the left and took cover. The lone woman looked from her place between Aragorn and Gimli at hearing and feeling the collective thundering of hoofbeats before the host came forward and passed them as they were headed north from what she could see.

Eäriel slightly perked up when Aragorn chose to be brave and stepped out from their boulder; she rubbed a hand over her forehead and grumbled, "I blame the twins for his lack of patience…" She would also clock the both of them when she got the chance.

"Riders of Rohan; what news from the Mark?" Aragorn called to the host, watching as the riders turned about at hearing his voice in their wake, glancing to the side as his remaining comrades stepped into the open with him, the lone woman glancing between him and the oncoming host with a measure of exasperation.

The riders then surrounded the five on all sides. Their helmets sported blonde tails and their faces were hard and worn as they had the sturdy appearance of warriors moreso than rangers in her opinion, and well over a dozen spear tips were trained on the five. The throng parted then for their leader who rode up to the front to inspect the apparent outsiders, the man himself having a bearing that stated he was not just their captain but perhaps higher on the proverbial food chain, his hardened eyes looking on them from beneath the brim of his more-decorative helmet.

"What business does two elves, two men, and a dwarf have in the Riddermark? Speak quickly!" The leader ordered from his place still seated atop a dapple-gray steed.

Gimli looked the most at ease amongst the five despite their warranted audience, having propped his arms on one of his shorter axes. "Give me your name, horse-master, and I'll give you mine!" He said calmly.

Eäriel's nostrils slightly flared when she inhaled and she glanced over at Boromir when seeing his hand move to the hilt of his sword as the head of the host then dismounted his steed to step up to the collected dwarf.

The leader huffed, "I would cut off your head, dwarf, if you were _taller_."

Nocking an arrow in place, Legolas was first to snap at him, "You'd die before you could swing your sword!"

"Enough." Eäriel placed a hand on his raised arm when the host tensed where they were at his threat, glancing back at Boromir before scowling at Legolas and then her eyes fell on the leader. "Forgive my friends, if you will… We have had a rough few days." She apologized patiently as Legolas' grip lessened.

Aragorn made a note to thank her later before introducing their small party. "I am Aragorn, son of Arathorn; this is Boromir son of Denethor, Gimli son of Glóin, Eäriel daughter of Húldaer, and Legolas son of Thranduil. We are friends of Rohan, and your king, Théoden."

"Théoden no longer recognizes friend from foe," The man slightly shook his head as his tone turned rather morose, "Not even his own kin." He then removed his helmet to reveal a young-faced blonde with a haunted look darkening his brown eyes, signaling his men lower their respective guard. He continued before any of the five could ask more of his uncle, "I am Éomer, son of Éomund and nephew by way of his sister. Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and therein claimed lordship over these lands; my company consist of those loyal to Rohan, and we are banished for it."

Banished for loyalty…? Eäriel's eyes only tightened at the corners as she briefly wondered what sort of curse Saruman had cast on the king if he was mad enough to banish his own sister-son.

"The White Wizard is cunning." Éomer's next words pulled her back to reality with a sneer formed on his bearded face, "He walks here and there in the guise of a hooded and cloaked old man… And everywhere his spies slip past our watch." He turned his hardened look from the apparent Gondorian to the prince near him who met his hard look with one of his own.

Eäriel cocked a brow, "You think an elf would make for a suitable spy?" She asked as she kept her brow lifted when he turned his hardened look onto her.

"And what say you?" The blonde remarked.

"Politics are wasted on me; I'd sooner be thrown out than accepted as a lady of court." The she-elf's nose wrinkled.

The Ranger refrained from rolling his eyes at her remark, "We are no spies. We've been tracking a host of Urukhai westward for they have taken two of our companions captive." He assured.

"The Uruks are dead, we slaughtered them last night." Éomer's brow hardened slightly.

Boromir's face paled a bit, "Did you see two hobbits amongst them?" He demanded.

"They would look like children to you," Eäriel clarified as her own brow hardened at the thought of what may have happened to those two.

Éomer shook his head, "We left none alive… I am sorry. We burned the bodies and left them in a pile." He pointed over the nearby hill where they saw the smoke rising into the bleak skies above.

"…Dead?" Gimli said quietly in shock.

The blonde then whistled sharply to summon three horses forth from among his host, one gray, one chestnut and one bay, handing their reins to the Ranger. "Hasufel, Arod, and Dan. Take them, may they be better for you than they were their former masters." He took the reins for his steed from one of his men after placing his helmet back on, and hoisted himself up into the saddle before looking to the five, "Look for your friends, but do not trust in hope, for it has forsaken this place… We ride north!" Urging his steed onward, he led his host towards their original destination, as with another thundering of hooves they were gone.

The bay stallion nickered when her slender fingers stroked his long face; she smiled briefly before then joining Boromir in the saddle as he had already mounted the steed.

With Aragorn on Hasufel and Legolas and Gimli on Arod, the five took off towards the smoking remains.

_oO0Oo_

She had been through battles before and she knew what the smell of burnt dead was like all too well.

Shortly following her fellow rider who had nearly hopped off the horse's back, she looked to the pile of blackened Uruks that had been hacked and sliced and burned before her eyes settled on the lopped-off head of one of the beasts that had been stuck on a spear so all who passed would see this was a message.

Looking up from having been sifting through the remains, Gimli lifted a charred silver belt. "S' one of their wee belts," He said to his companions before he then continued to look for any sign of their bodies even if it was only one.

An angered yell came from their leader as he kicked a discarded helmet before dropping to his knees, making the elleth wince slightly.

Eäriel looked to the sky as the sun began to turn the gray blanket blue and then her eyes fell on the treetops to the recesses of the forest only feet away from where her boots had stopped, her brow crinkling just the slightest.

This didn't entirely _feel_ like they had failed, there had to be more to the story… Merry and Pippin wouldn't know much if any of Fangorn Forest, and if they had miraculously escaped the slaughter the Rohirrim had wrought on their captors, then they would've seen the forest's edges as sanctuary.

So that meant…

"A hobbit lay here." Aragorn's quiet observation pulled her from her thoughts, causing her to glance back at him to see he was studying the yellowed grass around them. He straightened slightly as the elleth looked to the trees of the forest edge before something caught her gaze in the grass, his green eyes following her sharpened gaze to come upon a severed piece of rope that had been trampled into the ground.

Hope began to ignite in her chest and she stooped to pick up the evidence, "Their bonds were cut." She said, looking to her friend as he nodded and both Gimli and Legolas perked up nearby at hearing their findings.

"There are tracks that look to be about their size too," Boromir declared as he had also overheard Aragorn the first time and it was then he noticed the small footprints leading away from the skirmish, looking at his friends before leading the way the tracks led to then stop only a few yards from the treeline.

"Into Fangorn Forest…" Legolas observed quietly as he and Gimli came to a halt with the two men.

Gimli frowned, "What madness drove them in there?" He wondered at large.

"Not madness but sanctuary." Eäriel shouldered her bags and quiver and looked at her four comrades before adding, "If you lot want to stand around and gawk at the outlandish end to this conversation, then by all means." She then strode forward into the trees' shade without a second glance back and only the distinct feeling of when she had gone into the Mountain to find Bilbo.

Legolas only pinched the bridge of his nose with a hand before he followed her lead with Aragorn, Boromir and Gimli in his wake.

* * *

an: _i must apologize for the lack of update, but i've been busy with other things, so forgive me that?_


	9. All the King's Horses I

_All the King's Horses I_

* * *

"You've never been in this forest before, have you, lass?" Gimli was first to break the otherwise quietness of their trek.

Eäriel glanced back at him between looking at where the footprints led, "No, but to be fair, Mirkwood is much more intimidating… Took us nearly a week to get out of there." She answered with a slight smile.

"And run neck-deep into the spiders' nest." Legolas commented as he walked between Aragorn and Boromir. His father had commented that it would've been easier if the spiders had gotten to the dwarf company before they had, but of course he was still nursing the blow to his pride she had dealt that day.

Eäriel rolled her eyes, "Still sore over that, aren't you princeling?" She glanced back at him and smirked cheekily when their gazes met.

Aragorn shook his head at their slight banter as he had been hearing it for the last few decades and stopped walking when coming upon a set of three-toed tracks in the ground. "These are strange tracks." He noted aloud.

"The air is so close in here," Boromir commented with a slight frown at their otherwise-dank surroundings.

Legolas replied pensively with a glance at the lone she-elf, "this forest is old, older than either of us… It is full of memory, and anger."

Eäriel's ears twitched as a low groaning and creaking sounded from amongst the trees, and she looked over at her fellow elf, "the trees are speaking…" She began.

"Lower your axe, Gimli!" Aragorn hissed to the lone dwarf who had raised his weapon on reflex.

Boromir looked between the elves, "The trees have feelings?" He asked rather dubiously.

Legolas nodded, "indeed, for the elves are the ones who began it… waking them up and teaching them to speak."

"Talking trees!" Gimli huffed as he shuffled towards his comrades, "What do trees have to talk about, then, aside from the consistency of squirrel droppings?" He muttered the last comment.

Eäriel shook her head to ward off a giggle despite her respect for the aged trees they stood amongst, her slight smile faltering when she felt a strangely familiar charge on the air of the forest as said charge seemed to approach them… "Something's out there." She said quietly as she flexed her fingers that had curled into fists at her sides, shooting a glance at Boromir as he had walked near her and overheard her words.

"What is it…?" Boromir asked in the same tone as he reached for his sword, looking to Aragorn as Legolas had called to him in elvish.

"The White Wizard is here." Both elves said grimly in unison.

Aragorn stiffened when hearing their foreboding words as he felt said being yards behind them without having to look back or daring himself to do so, and he inhaled. "We cannot let him speak, lest he bewitch us all." He said quietly to his comrades. With a glance at the four with him to see Boromir preparing to draw his sword, Legolas an arrow, Eäriel a throwing knife and Gimli one of his throwing axes, Aragorn added stiffly, "We must be quick."

Silently counting to three, the five whirled around with Eäriel, Legolas and Gimli throwing their projectiles first as both men drew their swords before a blinding white light shone on the five and made them wince and or look away for fear of being blinded as the figure hidden in the light broke the weapons thrown at him.

"**You're tracking the footsteps of two hobbits, are you not**?" The figure spoke with many voices and one strong voice amidst the others.

"Where are they?" Aragorn demanded.

The figure replied rather nonchalantly, "**they passed this way, two days past; they came across someone they did not expect to see… does that give you comfort**?"

"Then show yourself!" Boromir ordered.

The blinding light dimmed around the figure until a very familiar face cloaked in white stood there before the hunters.

Legolas was first to apologize, "Forgive me for I mistook you for Saruman." He had nearly killed him.

"But I _am_ Saruman, rather as he should be." The Istari replied.

"You fell…" Aragorn said quietly in shock.

The Istari's face sobered as he agreed, "through fire and water, yes. From the deepest dungeon to the highest peak I fought with the Balrog of Morgoth until at last I threw down my enemy and made a grave of its remains on the mountainside. Darkness took me and I strayed out of thought and time, stars flew overhead as everyday was as long as a life-age of the earth… It was not the end, however, for I felt life in me once more. The great eagles flew me from the peak and to Lothlórien where I learned the lady Galadriel had sent them for me; I was clad anew and stand before you now as Gandalf the White for Gandalf the Grey is no more. I've now come back at the turn of the tide."

Eäriel swallowed the small emotional lump of relief and smiled a real smile she hadn't sported in years, "You've hardly changed, Gandalf."

The six then made their way back to the edges of the forest with Gandalf at the helm. "One stage of your journey is over and another begins; we must travel to Edoras." Gandalf announced to his companions.

"'_Edoras'?_ That is not a short venture!" Boromir said.

"We hear it does not go well in Rohan with the king." Aragorn supplied as he walked behind Gandalf.

Gandalf agreed, "It will not be easy to loose the hold Saruman has on him."

"So we've come all this way for nothing, then! Nothing but to leave two poor hobbits alone in this dark, _dank_ and _tree-infested_…" Gimli started to say when a loud groan sounded among the trees and made him stiffen. "Err rather, a _quite charming_ forest!" He said quickly.

"It was more than just chance that Merry and Pippin ended up in Fangorn Forest, for a great power has been dormant here for many long years. The coming of Merry and Pippin will be like the falling of small stones that cause an avalanche in the mountains." Gandalf remarked matter-of-factly.

Eäriel couldn't help the small laugh, "You still speak in riddles, Gandalf."

"Something is about to happen that hasn't happened since the Elder Days; the Ents are going to awaken and find that they are strong." Gandalf said pensively as he glanced about at the trees.

Gimli near-visibly gulped at the thought, "Well that's good…"

Gandalf refrained from rolling his eyes and instead took the helm again, "Stop your fretting, Master Dwarf, for Merry and Pippin are much safer than you're about to be!" He said over his shoulder.

Boromir lightly clapped the dwarf on the shoulder as they continued, "he's grumpier than he used to be." He mused aloud.

The six exited the forest as the afternoon sun slowly crept its way to the west and were met with their three steeds as well as a fourth steed that was grazing near Hasufel.

"Aeglos!" Eäriel declared in surprise at seeing her mare standing amongst the three stallions, trotting forward to greet the gray mare who whinnied in response and calmed when her mistress' slender hands stroked her cheeks. She smiled at her brown eyes and began to wonder how she had come all this way east when spotting the distinct detail on her bridle that clearly didn't belong to the mare… Her eyes softened as she silently thanked Glorfindel for having encouraged Aeglos to come to her aid.

A neigh sounded from the rolling fields beyond them and she lifted her head to look at the horse who called from a distance only to slightly gape at seeing a stallion as white as fresh snow who galloped towards the wizard who had beckoned him. "Is that one of them…?" She wondered softly at large; her mother had only told her stories of the Mearas, great horses that had belonged to the Valar and were thought to be just legend.

Gandalf gently petted the great steed's muzzle, "He is called Shadowfax for he is the lord of all horses, and he has been my friend and faithful companion through many dangers." He said.

Hoisting himself onto Dan, Boromir looked to the elleth as she had already hopped into the saddle and he smirked lightly at her, "Dan will miss you." He teased.

Eäriel glanced from the bay stallion to his rider and she reached to gently slug the latter's shoulder. "He'll just have to get over it, then, won't he?" She remarked with a smirk, clicking her tongue as Gandalf led the way south and she gripped the reins as Aeglos galloped after his lead.

_oO0Oo_

'**_Save them… Do not let them meet my fate… Save them, Eäriel!_**'

She shot up from her slumber with a dagger on hand, looking around at her surroundings as her racing heartbeat slowly calmed the longer she recognized those slumbering around her, from the dwarf, two men and even the ellon. Her eyes fell on the back of their leader as he stood vigil in the direction of the southeast to where the glaring threat of Mordor lay beyond her reach, and she would have gone back to sleep had _his_ voice not rung in her ears like a bell's grim chime.

So much for sleep.

Straightening from her bedroll, she rubbed her neck with a hand and shuffled over to stand alongside the wizard, momentarily enjoying the feel of the grass under her bare feet.

Both wizard and elleth stood in companionable silence for another few minutes before the former broke it.

"The veiling shadow that glares in the east takes shape… Sauron will suffer no rival." Gandalf said.

Eäriel rubbed her arms, "He still fears the heir of Isildur, otherwise he would not bare his teeth as he does… Coward." She glanced back at her friends as her eyes lingered on the Ranger for a moment longer before she stared on at Mordor with the slightest furrow in her brow.

Gandalf allowed a slight chuckle at her tone, "Your father would be pleased to hear his efforts were not in vain." He replied quietly, meeting her paler gaze that looked at him at mention of her father.

Eäriel's face softened and she nodded, exhaling. "Thorin is in the stars with him, isn't he?" She asked softly, looking up at the lights that dotted the dark skies above.

"I would imagine it is the only place where he knows he can see you." Gandalf nodded as he placed a hand on her back.

Eäriel sighed slightly as she felt better talking about him, and she smiled at her old friend, "I've missed you, Gandalf." She didn't know if she had been hallucinating or if she had had a vision, but she knew one thing.

If Sauron sought to consume the entirety of Middle-Earth in a second darkness then the Lonely Mountain would be his next objective.

* * *

an: _so Gandalf is back, but not all is sunshine and daisies as you've probably guessed. stay tuned for the next update! :)_


	10. All the King's Horses II

_All the King's Horses II_

* * *

Legolas looked over at the lone woman who rode between Gandalf and Boromir as a slight frown adorned his brow.

He had awoken to see her standing a ways from their small camp around dawn just before the sun would begin its ascent into the sky with a raven perched on her left arm and its head inclined to listen to her as she had spoken to it before the scavenger had been lightly tossed into the air, giving a caw before it flew off towards the northeast. Since then he had kept the question in the back of his mind and knew she must have seen or felt something to have sent off a messenger without their knowledge of it.

He said nothing of it and only kept her in his sight as he had been doing for as far back as he could remember…

"Edoras, and the Golden Hall of Meduseld," Gandalf announced, pulling the ellon from his thoughts, as they stood yards before the tall gates of the named city that seemed to blend in to the greenish-gold covered hills of the land. "There dwells Théoden, King of Rohan, whose mind is overthrown." He added rather grimly.

Boromir briefly looked to the wizard, "If his mind is poisoned as Éomer said, then it will not be an easy task to free him." He observed.

Gandalf nodded slightly at his point and added to them all, "Do not look for welcome here."

Eäriel only scoffed at the notion of being welcomed by the folk they were obviously sent to try and help, following his lead into the city.

_oO0Oo_

They were let in without questioning; she refrained from wrinkling her nose at immediately sensing the hold Saruman had on Edoras as it seemed to permeate the air like the stink of death. Her ears twitched as, between Gandalf's lead with Legolas and Gimli behind her, she noted the folk that caught sight of their odd group of six were donned in black. It must've been a member of the royal house who passed on if there was this much black… She frowned softly in a measure of confusion and sympathy for the horse-folk.

"You'd find more cheer in a graveyard…" Gimli grumbled behind her.

Letting the stable hands take their horses when they at last reached the Golden Hall, the six then ascended the stairwell that led up to the grand doors of the hall with Gandalf leaning onto both Eäriel's offered arm and his staff. The doors opened for a redhead warden to greet the six when they reached the top of the steps; Gandalf sported a feigned-polite smile to the warden as if to speak on the behalf of his otherwise-quiet companions.

"I cannot allow you before Théoden-King so heavily-armed, Gandalf Greyhame… By order of Grima Wormtongue." The warden said plainly although his lip slightly curled at mention of the man who had issued his orders.

'_Do not look for welcome… or courtesy_', the she-elf thought with an inward scoff as, with reluctance, the six then removed their weapons from their persons to offer to the warden's men who took said belongings. She looked down at her bow for a moment before handing it to one stern-faced warden with a blasé expression on her face, and she glanced at the wizard as the warden asked for his tall staff.

Gandalf huffed slightly, "You wouldn't part an old man from his walking stick, would you?" He wondered, receiving a reluctant passage from the warden who let them enter the hall, and he held to the she-elf's arm plus his staff once again as they stepped inside.

If one didn't feel the hold the other wizard had on the Golden Hall before, then now it was certainly unbearable, but that would soon pass.

Sitting upon an ornate throne chair clad in oversized furs, grizzled white hair and wrinkles was Théoden-King. He looked to be a century at the very least, decrepit and withering like an autumn leaf, and she believed it would take a miracle for him to stand to his feet.

Her sharp eyes beheld a pasty man at his left and a bristle rose up her spine as she noted the air of a snake the apparent advisor held.

"The courtesy of your hall has lessened of late, Théoden-King." Gandalf declared.

The king stiffly lifted his head and greeted in a raspy voice, "Why should I incline a welcome to you, Gandalf Storm-crow?"

Eäriel glanced to the far right when catching movement and noted a huddled group of men as greasy as the apparent snake in the room; she itched to withdraw one of her blades but instead steeled herself to the decrepit state of the esteemed king.

"This sorcerer has chosen an inconvenient time to appear before our king." The snake in question claimed as he was the voice for the indisposed man, stepping away from the king's right side to approach the wizard. "I call you Lathspell, for ill news is an ill guest…!"

"Silence, keep your forked tongue behind your teeth." Gandalf silenced him, the niceness he had tried to extend however vainly fleeing to be replaced with a stern tone, adding, "I didn't pass through fire and death to be belittled by a witless worm." He raised his staff and caused the snake to stiffen at his threat.

The earlier tension that had been electric was nearly tangible now as Grima looked vainly past the Istari, "the staff, I told you to seize the wizard's staff!" He exclaimed as his men surged upon the five.

Two of the greasy brutes lunged at the lone woman only for the first to be kicked hard in the groin and sent reeling away.

She caught the second man's raised fist in one hand and used her free hand to slam home as she sent him to the floor with a broken nose. A bristle rose up her spine as she firstly sensed the semi-electric charge of Gandalf's magic as he stepped up to the possessed king and secondly because one tall man fisted a hand in her cloak's hood to restrain her.

A reflexive growl escaped her throat as Eäriel sharply headbutted him in the face and hooked her right leg with his right heel and jerked him to the cold floor with a muffled '_thud_'. She panted slightly and caught movement from the side near one of the pillars as Grima sought to slip away into the shadows; she snarled as she threw her left dagger towards him, watching with a satisfied smirk as he was immediately pinned to the pillar by her blade caught in his cloak's lapel. She looked at Gandalf as he stopped shy of the throne and commanded the king harken to him, a slight shiver crawling down her arms when Théoden began laughing coldly at the wizard's efforts.

"_You have no power here, Gandalf the Grey_." The king declared.

Gandalf said nothing and instead removed the gray cloak from his shoulders as the exertion of his powers, and the elleth bit back a shiver at sensing the electric tension emanating from Gandalf and Saruman as the former's magic felt free and calming whereas the latter's magic reminded her of a thick coating of mud and grime.

"_If I go, Théoden dies!_" Saruman's voice reminded grimly as it came from the king's mouth.

Gandalf only raised his staff more pointedly and made the puppet recoil from his magic, "You didn't kill _me_, Saruman, and you _won't_ kill him." He gave a grunt of exertion as Saruman sought to lunge at him and he sent the king back to his throne chair.

The dark hold Saruman had cast over the hall faded away less than seconds later as the king's subjects waited with baited breath for their leader to return to his senses.

Théoden gave a weary groan and fell forward, nearly hitting the floor of the throne if a blonde maiden in white didn't catch him. His decrepit and aged appearance then fell away from him, his tangled and white hair changing to a golden blonde hue and the color returned to his face, his aged eyes shifting to a blue hue; he blinked once before his gaze settled on the blonde woman before him whose green eyes held tears. "I know your face… Eowyn." He said quietly in relief and surprise, watching her pale face brighten with a smile, and he looked away from her to the wizard in white who stood before him. "Gandalf…?"

"Breathe the free air again, my friend." Gandalf smiled as well.

* * *

an: _i am soo sorry for not updating this, guys! i have school going on atm and i've been dabbling here and there in different fandoms.. anyway, so what lies next for our heroes? only time will tell! :)_


	11. Before the Storm

_Before the Storm_

* * *

Following the funeral procession, she caught sight of the same maiden from the hall who stood near the grave of her cousin, donned in black much like her countrymen with her blonde hair pulled from her face, and she did not need to look on her for long to recognize the grief of their loss had fallen hard on her. The she-elf looked momentarily to the king who was at the helm behind the litter and her shoulders gave the slightest hunch at noting the wooden way he walked as he kept his gaze down.

Memories of when they had laid Thorin to rest surfaced in her mind's eye and her nostrils flared as she ignored the dull ache somewhere in her heart in response to that day.

'_Do not let them meet my fate, save them_…'

Eäriel slid her eyes closed when they at last stopped to stand to the side as the prince –Théodred, as she had learned he was called, the youthful and only son of the king who had met an unfortunate and untimely end— was gently lowered into the family tomb.

When did the state of the world get so depraved, she wondered, to have a son be outlived by his father?

The Rohirric language morphed into a sad song filled the quiet air of the funeral, and her left ear twitched at hearing it come from the blonde maiden standing across from her.

The elleth knew too well for her liking the grief-filled tone the other woman carried in her voice as she sang. She opened her eyes when the song ended and the tomb was closed, glancing to the wizard as he stood closest to the king while the black-clad onlookers slowly left the burial site to return to the city; she looked to her companions to have Aragorn be the first to leave, and Boromir shortly followed, until she, Legolas and Gimli left as well to give the king time to mourn on his own.

It wasn't like this was the first life that was taken based on Saruman's greed, and even so, Eäriel felt further disgust and resentment towards the fallen wizard as if he had killed the boy with his own hand.

Of course she knew it wouldn't last, not if she had anything to say about it.

The five companions entered the great hall and Gimli politely asked the servants to give them food for they were hungry and hadn't eaten a decent meal in a month or so.

Legolas looked at their female as she joined Aragorn, Gimli and Boromir in the meal brought to them, briefly surprised she was as hungry as their friends; of course he supposed it made some sense, given her lineage. He knew her mother had had a measure of mortal blood, given she had been called a '_half-breed'_ by not just his father but also by other elves in the Greenwood, so to see his old friend eat like a man only surprised him for a moment. He was pulled out of his thoughts when she tossed an apple to him from the tray, to which he caught expertly; he lightly shook his head when she wiped her mouth with the side of her left arm. "I take it you got tired of _lembas_ as well, then." He said.

"You must remember that I was friends with dwarves for a number of years." Eäriel remarked calmly before taking a sip of the ale in her goblet, nodding to the apple she'd given him and adding, "Since you're retaining the '_stoic prince_' outlook so well." A smirk played at her lips as she tilted her head a smidge.

Legolas rolled his eyes on habit at her quip and took a bite of the apple regardless. "As well as you retain your '_untamed she-elf_' outlook… It's rather old by now, I might add." He returned the head-tilt and only smiled innocently when she gave a '_humph'_ and looked away to take a hearty sip of her ale.

Boromir looked on at the elves' banter and shared a look with Aragorn who sat at his right only for the latter to give a slight shake of the head as he smoked his pipe. He took a sip of ale from his own goblet and sighed slightly, "I imagine Saruman will want to strike Rohan soon, despite the king's will trying to recover from his loss." He mused aloud.

Legolas chimed, "Mourning his son has driven his mind from any thoughts of an impending war… War will be on his doorstep if he doesn't act soon."

"That is most likely why we're here, then." Gimli surmised.

Eäriel exhaled slightly, "Gandalf could counsel him, yes, I have no doubt about that. But still, Théoden will undoubtedly be leery of trusting a wizard again… Gandalf will have to choose his words carefully unless he's seen as trying to do what Saruman did." She wrinkled her nose at mention of the other wizard even as a measure of pity welled inside her at understanding Théoden's point of view.

"If all else fails, _your_ diplomatic tongue will be put to use." Aragorn gave her a look, smiling a bit when she made a sideways expression at his jab regarding her past.

Eäriel started to remark before the doors of the hall burst open at that moment, causing the five to look to both Théoden and Gandalf who walked in.

The former carried a young boy in his arms as the latter held what appeared to be the boy's younger sister in one arm, the king commanding the servants bring blankets and food. She stood immediately when catching Gandalf's quick glance extended to her and went to his aid to see to the boy, finding he didn't look much older than ten. She looked to the servant who shortly came forth with blankets and a jug of water plus a cloth to dampen, taking the cloth and doing so to gently revive the boy as she didn't have her bag with her, patting down his forehead with the damp cloth. "Looks like he's been riding for days, the poor lad." She said as compassion overcame her regarding the boy and his sister who was crying for her mother, her piercing eyes never leaving the boy even as a maid came to gather the girl and take her to the kitchens while assuring her that her brother would be fine.

The boy came to after a few minutes, much to her relief, quickly looking and finding the king standing to the right, and he began telling him of his village being raided by orcs and wildmen, that the Westfold burned. He was then taken to a room to be properly tended to as Théoden cleared the hall save the six companions plus a half-dozen of his men that remained.

Eäriel once again felt pity towards the king as he retook his throne chair and sat with a hand over his face with the sense of exhaustion about him, and she folded her arms at her chest while standing by Boromir's side of their table.  
_  
Seems they had spoken too soon, hadn't they?_

Seated at the king's left, Gandalf chose to break the grim silence of the hall in saying, "The burning of the Westfold is just a taste of what Saruman will unleash." He wasn't wrong in any sense of the word in her opinion, and she was glad he took to advising Théoden for the poor man looked like his strength was completely spent. He placed a hand on the chair arm and added, "Draw him away from your women and children… You _have_ to fight."

Théoden seemed to bristle slightly at having the wizard at his ear albeit the intentions were different, stiffly rising from his chair to step away as if to pace before the throne. "We've not the strength to battle Saruman, for Grima has already done his master's bidding well in lessening Rohan's defenses."

"You have good men riding north at this moment," Boromir said, "Éomer is loyal to you; he would return without hesitation to fight for his king."

Eäriel afforded a small smile at the aforementioned man's loyalty to his king, as she had both shown it and seen it firsthand among her dwarvish friends… Yes, she knew _well_ of that unwavering loyalty.

"They will be a few hundred leagues from here by now… Éomer cannot help us." Théoden rebutted. He continued when the wizard approached him moments later, "I already know what you want of me, but I will not bring more death upon my people… I will _not_ risk open war." He looked to the Istari who stopped when he spoke as their stares met.

"Whether you risk it or not, war is upon you regardless." Aragorn remarked as he lowered his pipe.

Eäriel sensed the tension her friend brought out in the king at his words, and she shot him a look as Théoden glared at him. Well someone had to say it… "_Gwador_…" She began.

"Last I looked, _Théoden_ and not Aragorn was king of Rohan. You will not tell me how to rule my kingdom." Théoden stated frostily.

Legolas and Gimli shared a look at sensing the near-electric tension; Boromir frowned between both men; Eäriel's stare was fixed on Théoden even though she had more than enough cause to remind Aragorn of their objective.

They were only here to help, not run the bloody country.

"And what is the king's _decision?_" Gandalf asked in hopes of destroying the tension in the room.

_oO0Oo_

"Helm's Deep!" Huffed Gimli, striding alongside his companions, "They flee to the mountains rather than fighting for their home."

At the king's command, the residents of Edoras were to take their families and what they could carry to flee to their ancestral keep carved into the southern tip of the Misty Mountains, so to avoid a slaughter that would undoubtedly come.

She couldn't deny that she disliked fleeing much like Gimli, but at the same time, avoiding a massacre was a better option…

It wasn't the greatest, or wisest, though.

"Théoden is only doing what he believes is best for his people," Aragorn pointed out. "Helm's Deep has helped them greatly in years past."

Gandalf remarked, "There is no way in or out of that ravine, so bloodshed is inevitable in any aspect…" He stopped when leading the five to the stables, pausing at the stall where Shadowfax stood waiting before turning to them, "I ride for Eomer and his host, for we will need every sword and spear we can manage; war is coming, whether Theoden wishes for it or not." He did not miss the slightest tightening of the she-elf's eyes at mention of another war, perhaps the greatest war she willingly walked into in his opinion, and he addressed the five, "make your stand with Rohan and ensure that the defenses will hold… On the fifth day, look to my coming at first light," he then stepped into the stall to hoist himself astride the mighty stallion, "Look to the east."

Eäriel stepped to the left as wizard and steed shortly exited the stables and soon Edoras for all she knew, having a muzzle nudge her back when she moved closer to one stall, and she turned to look on her mare. She smiled on her friend as her male comrades left the stables, her smile faltering when both she and Aeglos looked to the lone stallion in the stables that was not calm like his fellow horses, recognizing the dark steed's sense of grief and resistance as he fought against the stablehands trying to calm him and place him in his stall. She raised a brow when Aragorn came back to help the men, sidestepping them yet she clearly heard the elvish words he spoke to the restless stallion as he calmly took charge of calming him and therein relieving the stablehands of their task.

"His name is Brego, he was my cousin's steed." Both friends looked to the maiden who had lingered to watch the Ranger, Éowyn as the elleth recalled from the other day, her green eyes looking to the man.

"_That is a kingly name, then_." Aragorn mused to the placated stallion, earning a quiet nicker from him.

Eäriel smiled at her friend before she resumed finishing brushing her mare's mane, looking up again when Éowyn approached the two.

She wasn't blind nor was she incompetent.

"…I did not expect to see the magic of elves in a man; you speak like one of their own." Éowyn observed.

Aragorn imagined the lone elleth looked his way at her words and he smiled slightly, "I was raised in Rivendell for a bit." He gave the rope for the steed's bridle to her, "Set him free for I deem that he has seen enough of war." He then stepped away to leave the stables in favor of saddling Hasufel as he had originally intended to do.

Fixing the mare's bridle and tack, Eäriel led Aeglos out of her stall to get a bit of fresh air, momentarily meeting the blonde woman's green stare as it fell on her and she smiled briefly when their stares met before continuing out of the stables. She found Aragorn settling the tack on his chestnut steed and paused to let Aeglos greet Hasufel. "_I think she likes you_." She said.

Aragorn straightened from settling the tack at her observation and he remarked in the same tongue, "_It's not polite to eavesdrop_."

Eäriel rolled her eyes as he was fixing the bridle and offered a piece of apple to Hasufel from the small pouch on Aeglos' saddle, "_It's not like I'm going to make you stay with my sister… I may be older than you but I can't make you do anything you don't want to do, now can I?_" She stated as the stallion nickered in thanks and nibbled on her opened palm.

It was no business of hers to dictate who Arwen loved or fancied, and the same went for Aragorn… The thought of behaving like Elrond regarding Arwen's romantic choices left her feeling ill.

Besides, whether he stayed with Arwen or not, she still saw and loved him as a brother.

Aragorn smiled thoughtfully at hearing her standing on the relationship between he and her sister, nodding, "_Best of luck trying to get the twins to see it as you do_." He said.

Eäriel laughed quietly at the thought. "_Gods know I've tried_." She replied.

* * *

an: _hey guys here's the latest update for _AAtWCTD_, hope you don't hate me too bad for being so late :/ school is kind of kicking my ass rn but the semester is ending in a month from today so i'll have plenty time to juggle this fic and my Hakuouki fic over the holiday. oh i changed my _**tumblr**_ url too, it's on my bio if you're curious. also yes things are going along sluggishly in the fic, my bad, take it up with Peter Jackson for having this part in the film lag.. anyway, enjoy and review if you like, if i'm even deserving of that lol. later!_


	12. Bravado I

_Bravado I_

* * *

He was getting restless; having known him most if not all of her long life, Eäriel knew how he felt towards their trek.

So far their trek to Helm's Deep was uneventful, much to the general relief, but even she was feeling anxious. There were more innocent folk than there were soldiers to protect their caravan, and even with she and the boys, they couldn't save everyone if something were to happen…

She could live to be five thousand years old and the notion of being out in the open fields still left her unsettled.

Her left ear twitched at hearing the conversation going on between Gimli and Éowyn next to her as she led Aeglos by the reins alongside Arod and Gimli before she watched Legolas look to where two of the wardens went ahead to scout the land.

Legolas looked to her when feeling her stare on him and he recognized her anxiousness that she seemed to hide well from everyone save him, sharing a nod with his old friend who then asked Éowyn keep an eye on Aeglos for her before he led her away from their companions and to where the wardens had gone over the lip of an incline.

Eäriel would admit she felt relatively better as she kept to Legolas' left, momentarily recalling she always felt comfortable at his side when on patrol in the Greenwood, and those nights when it was only the two of them under the moonlight… Blinking hard, she quickly banished that feeling away back to where it came.  
_  
Focus_, she scolded herself, _now isn't the time to act like a love-struck elfling_… Reflexively as she had done since piercing the cartilage of her pointed ear, she lifted her left hand to let her fingertips touch the engraved arrow in the dark bead.

A roar sounded then, making her nearly start as it yanked her from her thoughts, and she looked ahead at the large wolf beast and its rider as the steed tossed away the unfortunate warden it had come across.

Legolas loosed an arrow as the orc and warg converged on the remaining warden, the arrow striking the orc right in the chest, and he readied another arrow only for his companion to let her arrow fly and make the warg fall back with a strangled yelp as it fell on its dead rider. He looked to her as their stares met and she lowered her bow. "Alert the others," he instructed.

"Don't steal all the fun until I return," Eäriel replied with a slight smirk, turning to rush back to their friends at top speed.

After alerting her remaining comrades, she returned to where she had left her fellow elf with what forces they had, and a good thing too, for a large pack of warg scouts were advancing upon the incline.

A brief battle cry erupted from the men before both hosts collided.

Having rode with Aragorn astride Hasufel, Eäriel had readied herself to make a jump for the unfortunate scout that collided with the Ranger, her momentum not lost as she sprang on said scout with one of her daggers on hand.

The orc gave a vain squeal of pain when she jammed the blade into its forehead before it was thrown off its steed by the elf who yanked her dagger free.

Twisting around as the warg bucked and snarled angrily at the murder of its rider, the she-elf drew one of her long knives to dispose of the wolf beast. Eäriel hopped off the now-dead warg as she returned the dagger to its place, turning to then sidestep a riderless warg that had lunged for her left side, giving a slight grunt as she threw her knife at the beast and smirking humorlessly when the warg dropped with the elvish blade stuck good in its forehead. She jogged towards the dead wolf beast to retrieve her favored weapon and yank it free with little struggle, looking around to see at least several dead warg scouts plus their steeds scattered on the field, giving a soft huff. "This was almost too easy…" Her spoken thought was cut off by a gurgled snarl that came from behind, and she twisted around to dispose of the warg only to watch it fall before her with an arrow lodged between its ears from the back.

"Try as I might, I had to start the party without you." The warg's killer lamented from astride Arod as he approached her, slightly tilting his chin up as their blue stares met.

The she-elf shoved aside the faintest sense of flattery towards his protecting her, wrinkling her nose as she eyed the dead warg before looking up at him knowingly. "You've no idea how extremely wounded I am for your impatience." She remarked, stepping up to Arod and receiving a nicker when she gently stroked his muzzle. "He's a bit of a prat, but you'll get used to him," she crooned to the horse.

Legolas rolled his eyes as he dismounted and gave her a look, "Your brashness never ceases to amaze." He took heart that she remained unhurt, he would admit… though not to her. Not openly.

Eäriel felt his eyes scan her for sign of injury and shoved off the threatening shiver at being under his stare, "Cheek won't win a woman's heart, you know that." _At least not this woman_, she inwardly added, tilting her head up a little to smirk wryly at him.

"Aragorn!" Boromir called nearby, yanking both elves from where their thoughts strayed, as he approached them while looking around. "You two didn't happen to see where he went, did you?" He asked concernedly.

Eäriel caught the sense of anxiety in his blue eyes and she looked around as well, finding no sign of their leader much to her chagrin, "_Gwador!_" She called, stepping away from her friends to look again and then search among the fallen. "Aragorn!" _Where could he have gone?_ She began to wonder before her gaze traveled to the ledge yards away and fear trickled down her spine like a cold trail of ice. "Please no…"

"Aragorn!" Legolas called before he stumbled upon a dying orc when hearing the vile being give a raspy cackle. He turned on the beast with disgust and anger. "And what's so funny?" He ground out.

The orc sneered at the prince, "Lost your friend, have you? He took a little tumble off the cliff…" A gurgled growl escaped him when her left boot pinned his left arm to the ground from the side as she had come forth when finding the prince.

"You lying _filth_, tell us where he is or I'll break you into pieces." Eäriel commanded, earning a last gurgle of breath from the orc as he passed on, and she relinquished her grip to then stiffen as she caught something twinkle in his right hand.

Legolas snatched it from the dead beast's hand and both elves looked on the dainty-looking Evenstar pendant that Aragorn wore and had seemed to never take off… His face paled.

"He can't be dead, he can't…" Eäriel shook her head in disbelief as hot tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, stepping away to stride up to the ledge and look down below at the river that churned and continued along its way. Perhaps it carried him along with its current… "He just can't be dead…!" She croaked, looking up when a hand was placed on her shoulder, and she was briefly surprised to see it belonged to Théoden.

"Get the wounded on horses for the wolves of Isengard will return." The king ordered what wardens that remained, offering a brief sympathetic look to the elleth before he turned away to give her a moment. "Leave the dead." He added to his men.

"How…" Eäriel bristled in hurt and turned to snap at him when Legolas' arm found her shoulders, and she looked sharply on the ellon to be met with a slight shake of the head as she saw the same hurt in his eyes. She quieted and let him lead her to where they left the horses, looking briefly back at the ledge for one more moment before closing her eyes tight to lean her head on his shoulder.

_oO0Oo_

"Make way, make way for the king!"

Éowyn was one of the first to rush to greet the triumphant host as they came to a halt in the stone courtyard feet before the doors of the hall, finding with surprise that less than half of the host had made it to the keep alive. "So few of you have returned…" She observed when meeting her uncle as he dismounted his horse at the helm, looking to the riders again as she sought the face of one man in particular.

"They are not forgotten, for we paid with many lives," Théoden replied as he nodded to her in greeting, moreover relieved to have gotten what men remained to Helm's Deep in one piece.

"Lady Eäriel!" The blonde woman found the other woman as she dismounted Hasufel with ease and gently patted his neck, coming up to her, "I am glad to see you alive, but please tell me where Lord Aragorn is?" She asked.

The she-elf stiffened slightly at hearing his name and for a moment she wished to dismiss Éowyn's sense of naiveté, turning slightly to her as green met blue. "Éowyn, I…" She began.

"He fell." Gimli interrupted quietly from near the blonde, earning a wide-eyed look from her, and he received a slightly thankful smile from the she-elf.

The blonde woman looked to her fellow woman with a glimmer of hope that perhaps the dwarf lied and that the Ranger was among them, only to be met with a small nod from said elleth. She then cleared her throat and muttered something about seeing to the provisions in the keep, turning to nearly spirit away from their presence without another word.

Eäriel gave a soft shuddering exhale before looking to Boromir as he had walked away to join the men in the hall before stopping to look back at her and nod to the hall, gesturing she join them. "Thank you, Gimli," she thanked the dwarf as he had lingered with her, both of them following their remaining comrades to the hall.

Gimli patted her back in an attempt to ease her mind.

_oO0Oo_

Théoden and his men wasted no time in going over war plans.

"We had one hundred spears before your arrival," one man on the king's left side offered when the question of how many arms were present came up, "but the number might just be over two hundred with the men you've brought." He added.

It wasn't like he could expect more help in their current state, the elleth deduced when she noted the sour line on the king's mouth. She kept the thought to herself as Théoden ordered bowmen to be placed along the Deeping Wall plus the battlements ontop of refortifying the doorway as well as taking count of the armory.

"And if the hold should be breached, then what?" Boromir spoke up, earning the other men's gazes as they settled coldly on him.

Another man scoffed at having the Captain present, "While your pure white _Gondorian_ fortresses may have been broken through in wars past, Helm's Deep is impenetrable. Noone has ever gotten through our walls." He sneered slightly.

"There's always a first. No fortress, castle or stronghold can last forever." Eäriel cut in before Boromir could rebut, continuing patiently, "we will be going up against Saruman, and gods know what he has in store. There's no doubt in my mind that he is already aware of where we are and knows the layout of this keep." She folded her arms at her chest at being under the general population's stare and knew she stepped on a few toes by both being a woman as well as speaking up.

"You believe he will appear in battle, then?" Théoden asked of the lone woman.

"I've only known him to engage in battle on one occasion, but I don't believe he will… He would prefer to control his host from a safe distance." Eäriel shook her head.

Since when was she required to go over battle plans? She had already done this years ago…

"Then what would you suggest?" Boromir asked this time, seeming to speak for the men present.

Eäriel gestured to the causeway sketched on the large print of the keep before them, "Does the causeway have any weaknesses?" She didn't sign up for this.

"There is a small drain in the middle, as tall and wide as a man." Théoden answered.

Legolas nodded, "Eäriel and I will be in position to guard it." He received a nod from the elleth as she met his gaze for that moment.

Two sets of elf eyes were best, after all.

Arguments rippled among the men after the issue of the causeway was put to rest by the king, as they all acknowledged that there were too few men to properly defend the keep. The man who kept charge of the keep then suggested that they enlist the older boys if the need was great, earning a sharp look from the lone woman.

"Sending children into battle is cruel in the highest sense of the word." Eäriel stated as the mere thought left a bad taste in her mouth, "Are there no women who are able to fight?" She looked at the men.

"Women are not fit for battle!" Another of the men stated.

Eäriel's eyes hardened slightly, "This coming from the country that once boasted shield-maidens! My sisters would willingly give their lives if their loved ones were at stake. Women are not just here to cook and clean for you lot, or keep your toes warm at night, either! We are more than just objects." She declared firmly.

"Yet even women like you _beg_ for it, don't you?" The keep's overseer drawled at her right side, a rather smug look on his bearded face when the elleth slowly looked at him.

That look always made her bristle with anger and revulsion…

Like lightning, her right dagger flew from its hiding place as she yanked him by his greasy hair to hit the tabletop back-first, the silvery blade held dangerously close to his jugular as she leaned over him with stony blue eyes.

"_'Women like me_' exist to silence disgusting filth like you. Look at me the same way again and I will not be so generous." Eäriel purred with venom dripping from her lowered voice, drawing away as quickly as she'd pinned him to leave the hall without another word.

This cage was beginning to make her sick.

* * *

an: _hey guys, sorry for the delay! finals was dragging me so bad but that's over now and i'm taking a semester-long break so i have plenty of time to work on this story and make you guys happy. anywho, as you can clearly see, i tend to troll ships whether they be main or side, but! but this ship is setting sail soon.. i'm just not telling, you lot will have to figure that out yourselves. hope you guys had a safe and happy Christmas holiday, and i send my best wishes for a great new year for everyone reading this, because this year seems to have kicked the shit out of everyone. thanks for the faves/follows and reviews, guys, and some positive feedback for this fic would just make my year, kay? later! :)_


	13. the Shape of My Heart

_The Shape of My Heart_

* * *

The falcon had flown for hours now, and if she could, she would fly as far as the Lonely Mountain and never look back.

Yet she had a good reason that she didn't wish to abandon just yet.

She greeted the sun when it crept over the rolling hills below, almost dropping to the ground when her sharp eyesight caught a lone man astride a dark stallion riding in the direction of the keep, slightly bobbing his head wearily as he rode the horse.  
_  
No, it can't be_…

A sharp cry sounded from the feathered raptor who dove after man and horse, wings flapping in excitement as she descended lower to circle the horse's front, causing him to neigh in surprise and halt.

Being jerked from his motion, the disheveled man looked about before being embraced tightly by a familiar elf. Relief filled him as the Ranger curled his fingers in her mane of hair and he held fast to his friend, hearing a half-strangled laugh escape the woman.

The elleth drew away to look him over as green met blue and she chuckled as he smiled tiredly at recognizing it truly was her, before she gently swatted the back of his head with a hand. "Don't you dare scare me like that ever again!" She scolded.

The Ranger rubbed his head gingerly and opened an eye at her, "I've missed you too…"

_oO0Oo_

Not even Azog's host had been so large as Saruman's… There was no possible way Théoden could do battle against such numbers!

Brego came to a halt once man and elf rode through the narrow streets of the keep to enter the stone courtyard, as they were instantly swarmed by the chatty and surprised crowd of villagers.

"_Where is he, I'm going to kill him!_" A familiar voice vowed before Gimli came into view as he had shoved his way to the front of the crowd when Aragorn was first to dismount his steed. He looked up at his friend in relief, "You are the luckiest man I've ever known… bless you, laddie!" He said before firmly embracing the Ranger.

Eäriel thanked the stablehand for taking Brego away before chuckling at the sight, clapping a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Told you." She commented.

Aragorn gave her a brief look before gently prying Gimli off, "Where is the king?" He asked.

Gimli nodded to the hall and shortly followed the Ranger as the latter went in that direction with the elleth at his side.

Legolas greeted Aragorn before the latter entered the hall, causing him to pause at being under the ellon's stare, before said elf slightly huffed, "You're late… And you look terrible." He greeted his friend.

Aragorn grinned which made the elf smile back, clapping a hand on his shoulder, before looking down as his friend deposited the Evenstar pendant into his hand; he gave a nod of thanks before proceeding to enter the hall.

Legolas met the bemused blue gaze of the elleth and an expression caught between relief and exasperation adorned his face, before he pulled her by the hand into a brief embrace that she returned gladly.

Eäriel slightly shook her head with a chuckle at his lack of a scolding, traipsing after Aragorn into the hall with Legolas and Gimli at her sides.

As she had predicted –which was an overstatement, given the lack in arms they had compared to their foe's left little room for one to predict the king's reaction—Théoden didn't enjoy the fact that their three hundred arms compared to Saruman's ten thousand left them so outnumbered, and he left the hall as if stepping out would lessen the graveness of the news. His wardens were shortly with him, as were the five hunters, as he strode through the street to reach the causeway.

"They are still _children_, my lord, they know nothing of battle!" Eäriel said when he gave the order for the able lads to be ready to fight by nightfall, although it seemed her words fell on deaf ears as the king continued on his way, and she ran a hand through her hair.

"We will cover the causeway and gate above, for no army has ever struck through the Deeping Wall or set foot inside the Hornburg!" Théoden said to the five plus his men with him.

Gimli commented grimly, "this is no mere pack of orcs, these are Uruk-hai! The have thick armor and broad shields." He pretended the king's stinging look was not so dreadful as he was met with the group's general stare.

Théoden clipped, "I've fought many wars, Master Dwarf, and _I know_ how to defend my own keep."

Eäriel afforded a small smile to Gimli as they followed the king, and she had a vague sense of déjà vu all over again as Théoden boasted that his people would outlast Saruman's host despite the contrast in numbers.

"Yet they do not come to destroy Rohan's crops or villages, they come to destroy its people, down to the last child!" Aragorn said exasperatedly as they crossed over the causeway.

Théoden rounded on him, missing the reflexive step the elleth made behind the Ranger before she was stopped by the Gondorian's grab for her arm, "Then what would you have me do; look at my men! Their courage hangs by a thin shred… If this is to be our end, then it will be such an end that it will be remembered." He growled out, releasing his grip on the Ranger's scruff when seeing the defensive glare of the woman behind him.

"Send for help, my lord; help will come if you but ask…!" Aragorn tried again.

"And _who_ will come, pray… elves, dwarves? We are not as blessed to have such friends as you." Théoden snapped, shooting a look at the named folk behind the Ranger.

"Gondor will help." Boromir answered in Aragorn's place, receiving a sharp glare from the king.

"_'Gondor'…!_ Where was Gondor when Rohan's need was dire, when our people suffered…" Théoden shook his head and glared slightly at the five, "no, the old alliances are dead. We are indeed alone." He then strode away to return to the hall.

Eäriel growled a curse, "All that is needed is a damned _dragon_…" Why was this happening to her, what wrong did she commit in the sight of the gods to be put through this torture again…? She shook her head. "The hour is late for us to send for reinforcements." She noted. And even so, she didn't wish to be the cause of more bloodshed.

_Not again_.

"_This_ is why we've come, though, isn't it?" Boromir remarked.

"_We_ cannot fight ten thousand Uruks, though, _can we?_" Eäriel retorted as she turned to the Captain, and a hurt look crept into her eyes before she looked away and off to the horizon, "Not with so little numbers… No, I cannot let this happen again." She mumbled an apology to her friends before leaving in the same direction Théoden went with the urge to cry and scream and yell to the heavens all at one time.

"_'Again'?_" Gimli echoed as the four men watched their female companion leave with a purposeful stride, looking to Aragorn.

Legolas was the one to exhale slightly as he said, "the Battle of Five Armies took many lives, one in particular that she cherished more than hers." It was difficult to forget those years after the war, after all, and it left him knowing one thing above anything.

If _he_ was haunted by it, then Eäriel even moreso.

_oO0Oo_

Aragorn shook his head at surveying what their host consisted of, "these are no soldiers." He said to the three.

"Most have seen too many winters." Gimli agreed.

Boromir surveyed again and slightly shook his head as well, "Or too few."

Legolas scoffed slightly, "They're frightened, look; I can see it in their eyes!" He acknowledged that he earned the attention of the armory plus Aragorn's, and he shook his head as he added in his tongue, "_As they should; three hundred against ten thousand strong! They will surely die, Aragorn_."

"Then I will die as one of them!" Aragorn snapped in common tongue, receiving a stony sort of look from the elf, before he left the quieted room.

Boromir spared the elf a brief look before he went after his fellow man while the armory returned to normal, or as normal as it could get anyway.

"Let him go, lad, let him cool off." Gimli urged the elf who considered going after their friends, shaking his head.

A slender hand found his right shoulder, "He's right, give him a moment. Fate hasn't been kind to any of us of late, has it?" She agreed with a rueful huff.

Blue met blue and he briefly took note that she was ready for a battle she hadn't wished to join since a week ago, to which he doubted he could blame. Legolas accepted his companions' counsel and nodded with a slight exhale.

Eäriel smiled slightly before saying, "I think my mail is loose, can you help?"

Legolas returned the smile, "There is a small room over here, come." He led the way to the mentioned room that looked as if it was a side room for the armory, letting her follow before closing the door slightly behind their entrance.

Eäriel lit a nearby candle and turned to him, letting him fasten the mail vest she had donned to shield her deep green jerkin, recalling the last time they had been close in her quarters back in the Woodland Realm, and her cheeks warmed slightly at the memory. She looked at him as he had finished with the vest and did not miss the pensive look on his face, knowing without asking that he was thinking of his words to Aragorn. "You worry enough for all of us," she commented with a soft huff, meeting his gaze as he was drawn from his thoughts and she shrugged.

Their stares held before Legolas smiled wryly, "Is it that obvious?" Between her and Tauriel, Eäriel was best at seeing right through him, even when she didn't mean to... He always believed he was adept at maintaining his composure, yet having her around made him quite the opposite.

Eäriel chuckled quietly, "Cheekiness won't always save you, I'm afraid." Though it had been one facet of his that won her heart long ago, she couldn't deny that.

… Though maybe after all this time he _still_ had her heart, just maybe.

Legolas momentarily noted the amber light of the nearby candle made her brown mane she had braided and tied back into a thick braid look auburn, and he thought again of what they would face within the hour, a frown forming on his face; he glanced away. "This is how you felt when war loomed on the horizon, isn't it?" He wondered quietly.

Eäriel nodded and looked on him as she raised her left hand to touch his cheek, "It isn't so bad, at least this time it isn't only the twins… This time is different." She mused.

"Regardless, we are still at risk of failure, given how dwindled our numbers are…" His face hardened before he noted the concerned frown on her lips and he closed his eyes briefly, nostrils flaring before he opened his eyes, "My only regret tonight is allowing you to experience the same pain." He admitted as he held her hand to his cheek.

"Legolas…" She looked elsewhere for a moment before exhaling, "Valar save me." She leaned up to press her lips to his, hoping _this_ was what Gandalf meant when he reiterated Thorin's wish for her to be happy.

Inhaling at her sudden kiss, he held her in place by her sides as he reciprocated, distinctly feeling a smile cross her lips as she lifted her hands to curl her fingers in his blonde hair, and the prince smiled back when he heard a soft groan come from her.

Those years in the Woodland Realm had only been made bearable because of Legolas, because she had loved being with him, because being with him made her feel happy and giddy like an elfling… She wouldn't trade her time with Thorin for anything in the world, though maybe he knew deep down that she would outlive him because he was mortal and she was elf-kind... maybe he knew she would truly be happy with someone else when he was gone.

Legolas ran his fingers through her brown hair as he reluctantly drew away from her kisses, seeing a measure of remorse shine in her blue eyes that met his, and he held her close again, letting her bury her face into his neck as he rested his cheek in her hair. "I take it back… My one regret is not kissing you sooner." He had missed it too, sorely as of late.

Eäriel nodded slightly and traced her fingers along one of the thin braids woven in his hair, "That's a first coming from you, given the last time this happened you couldn't keep your hands to yourself." She teased, hearing him chuckle at the memory.

Deeming they needed to return to the issue at hand, the elves left the privacy of the side room with him leading her out by the hand as they went to find their friends.

Aragorn was putting his own mail jerkin on when they found him, and he began to refasten his sword's belt at his waist when looking to see it was held up by Legolas.

Elf and man held stares for a moment before the former slightly dipped his head in apology, "Forgive me for doubting… We've trusted you to not lead us astray this far." He said.

The latter smiled wryly and accepted the sword, "There is nothing to forgive, Legolas." He clapped a hand on the elf's shoulder as the lattermost returned the gesture with a smile.

Eäriel shook her head as she stepped up to the two and hugged them both, "You're both fools." She chuckled.

Legolas smirked and hooked his arm around her waist, letting her hug his and catching Aragorn's knowing smile when seeing the affection between the elves.

A huff came from Gimli as he found the three, earning three sets of eyes as he gestured to the mail jerkin that was too long for him. "I could adjust this if we had more time!" He let the rest of the jerkin drop to the floor with a resounding clinking, pretending his friends didn't find amusement at his expense.

Boromir clapped a hand on the dwarf's shoulder as he joined the four, "S' a bit tight on the chest, I think." He added, receiving an amused look from Aragorn and Legolas whereas Eäriel giggled.

A loud horn then rippled through the air of the armory as it seemed to resound throughout the keep, earning the five's attention.

"It can't be!" Eäriel said even though a relieved smile lingered on her lips.

Legolas looked at her and then at Aragorn, "that was not an orc horn."

Aragorn took off first for the gates of the keep with the four at his heels.

* * *

an: _fine call me a romantic.. i'm not even sure what to dub this ship, do you guys have any ideas? positive feedback is well-appreciated here, fyi. have a safe and happy new year, everyone; later!_


	14. Bravado II

_Bravado II_

* * *

"… Long ago we fought and died, together…" The blonde Marchwarden trailed off at seeing the five companions on the stairwell feet away with the Ranger in the lead, and he smiled as he finished, "We've come to honor that allegiance."

"_Welcome, Haldir!_" Aragorn greeted him first, descending the stairs to embrace the elf who awkwardly returned the gesture, drawing back, "You are definitely welcome."

Eäriel embraced the blonde and beamed as they drew away, "Thank you for coming, all of you." _Bless Elrond_, she silently added.

Legolas greeted Haldir properly before they faced the king again.

"We are proud to fight alongside men again." Haldir stated as his host also turned to face the king.

_oO0Oo_

Storm clouds began to slowly accumulate in the dark heavens above and the tension was dense as the gathered host of elves and men awaited their foe's arrival to the keep.

From the Deeping Wall it was an easy view of their foe as said host marched ever closer to the keep's walls, their march sounding louder than the quietly-growling thunder above, as lit torches that resembled a massive unit of flames guided them through the dark.

The men were still restless it seemed, ready to fight and let fate decide whether they should die tonight or another day; the elves that stood alongside them were stoic with their sharp gazes set on their approaching foe.

"Could've picked a better spot…" Gimli grumbled from his place between the elves as they stood at the ready on the causeway.

Eäriel caught the amused smirk on the prince's lips regarding their shorter companion's griping, and she offered, "We all decided this was the best vantage point, if you recall, Gimli." She and Legolas were to shoot down their foes at long range while Gimli and Boromir dealt with the unfortunate beasts that reached the causeway path; it was a win-win situation no matter how one saw it.

"Cheating death seemed more fun the first time around," Boromir commented to his fellow man as the latter had walked over to them between surveying the other elves that stood in two rows and had left him room to walk between their ranks.

"Whatever luck you live by, laddie, let us hope it lasts the night." Gimli added in as he glanced at the Ranger.

The gathering clouds rumbled with a low growl above as lightning dance in the dark.

"Your friends are here with you, Aragorn." Legolas assured him as they both glanced up at the impending rain.

Eäriel nodded without removing her gaze from their foe, "I am sure we will survive the night." She had seen worse things, a live fire-breathing dragon being one of the worst, she had to remember that.

The rain was a light shower, thankfully, and she vainly hoped the battle would not last long for the rain would surely make the night tedious.

"_Show them no mercy for you will receive none in turn!_" Aragorn stated to the Galadhrim amongst them as their foe came to a halt several yards before the wall, walking amongst the rows again.

Eäriel thought of the fear and anger she had felt towards the Uruks who had took Merry and Pippin and only flexed her grasp on the metal-covered curve of her bow. No, she would indeed give those foul things no quarter… Aside from her father's reputed ruthlessness she had inherited, she hated the Uruks for trying to kill her friends.

Gods so help her, she would take a hundred of them down with her if tonight was to be her end.

_oO0Oo_

A loud roar came from the Uruks below as they began pounding their spears to the ground while the archers readied their respective bows and took aim at the beasts, and Eäriel ignored the thrumming in her ears as the pounding the beasts made on the earth grew in volume in order to intimidate their enemy; her lip only curled slightly in disgust.

The battle chant below halted when a lone arrow whizzed through the air from the garrison to stick one Uruk in the throat, and the beast hit the ground dead. This gave the rest of the Uruks further incentive as they bellowed their outrage and war cries, charging head-on at the wall like a stampede.

"_Aim for the neck and below the arm!_" Eäriel advised her kin as they readied to fire at Aragorn's call, releasing her arrow when Aragorn gave the order, nocking another arrow when the first wave was hit and most of them were felled, repeating the motion as her kinsmen did.

The archers continued raining arrows upon the Uruks that fired back with their crude crossbows, the beasts setting ladders to scale the wall when their rebuttal had little effect.

Fortunately she was used to close-combat.

"Ladders!" Boromir shouted to the men plus elves when said tools latched onto the stone wall's ledge, drawing his sword from its scabbard.

Eäriel switched from one weapon to the other with fluidity, beheading the first Uruk that reached the ladder infront of her, stabbing the throat of the next with a disgusted look. "_Keep firing and mind their archers!_" She advised the Galadhrim around her that were fending off their own, beheading another beast before she grabbed hold of the ladder hooks and shoved the ladder off the ledge with a slight grunt, ducking as one Uruk from the ladder by Boromir leapt at her. With a reflexive growl as she turned on the Uruk, she sliced its legs using one blade and used its twin to behead the beast, noting with a rueful look that these beasts were more depraved than the ones they had slain at Amon-Hen.

"Twenty-two… twenty-_three…!_" Gimli exclaimed as he counted the Uruks he had thus far slain as the battle waged on, having hopped onto the ledge of the causeway between two of their ladders and hacking the first unfortunate beast that was at the top of the ladders.

Boromir gutted another Uruk that fell on his shield, hearing a snarl behind him and twisting about to see the next beast had frozen in place; he sidestepped the Uruk as it fell forward only to look on Eäriel as she stood slightly out of breath with her dirtied knives in hand. Blue met blue as he was reminded of that day at Amon-Hen when she had saved him, and again he found himself thinking that she was the most brash she-elf he had ever met. He snapped out of his thoughts when a snarl sounded from another Uruk that rushed the elleth from behind, and he brushed past her to cut down the beast.

Eäriel looked over her shoulder at the Captain as he had slain the beast that would've killed her without a second thought, and she looked around at the various elves that had been cut down by the Uruks that had reached the causeway. She stole herself from the painful memory of her kin that had died in Dale and her ears perked when the raucous noise of cheers sounded below, trotting to the ledge at finding a vacant patch of stone to see the beasts parting way for four of their comrades to roll a large spiked ball into the causeway's drain. Her face paled. "**_Aragorn_**_!_" She forsook petnames and looked back at hearing his boots rushing to her side before she showed him the Uruks below that had now, much to her further dread, begun cheering a hulking one that carried a lit torch as it made a beeline for the drain.

"_Shoot it down!_" Aragorn commanded the elves that were nearby as Eäriel loosed one arrow and then another at the champion beast, two of her arrows landing in the beast's broad shoulders as Legolas also loosed a few arrows at the Uruk before it dove for the drain.

A resounding '_boom'_ thrummed in the night air as the chunk of causeway above the drain exploded.

_oO0Oo_

White noise erupted in her ears and the elleth cracked open an eye to see a familiar bearded face with blue eyes the color of stormy blue skies hovering over hers. "Thorin…?" she murmured softly.

"_Eäriel, get up!_" His visage disappeared as her hearing came back to her then and she heard the Uruks charging feet as she recalled painfully that there was a battle going on.

She grimaced as she scrambled to her feet rather clumsily, shaking her head even though it throbbed from somewhere above her right brow, looking around to see Boromir had also fallen with the causeway and was picking up his dented shield and Aragorn too as the lattermost rubbed his head with a hand. She looked forward as the Uruks began surging through the break in their defenses like an angry hive of hornets, and growled slightly as she drew the glowing Hathelas from its scabbard. She perked her ears when hearing a familiar dwarf's battle cry as she spotted said redhead drop from one side of the now-breached causeway to land amidst the Uruks, hacking and slicing at the overtall beasts. She groaned under her breath before seeing the dwarf be knocked on his back and into the knee-high waters of the stream, looking back to the slew of Galadhrim archers as Aragorn gave the order for them to let loose their respective arrows.

When seeing the hail of arrows only enraged the renewed horde, Aragorn led the charge with his sword bared, Boromir and Eäriel at either side as they collided with the spear-toting Uruks.

As she was closest, the elleth gutted another Uruk between the ribs to then reach into the stream and haul up the dwarf who spluttered and coughed, releasing his scruff to parry another beast's strike for her chest, drawing her arm back only to swing down on the Uruk's helmeted head and proceeding to yank Hathelas free. She lifted a hand to wipe her brow only to wince and lower it to find a smidge of blood from her fall; she huffed and sheathed the sword to return to her knives, launching herself back into the fray.

Aragorn cut down two at a time at the very least; Boromir struck with well-honed ease and let each of his foes fall on his shield; Eäriel beheaded one before gutting the next with deadly fluidity.

It felt like they were one, a near-invincible unit that turned the tide on the Uruks they slew.

Eäriel's ears perked as she straightened from ducking one Uruk's swing for her head when said beast fell forward to see the blonde ellon had cut it down with his blades. She acknowledged that he looked just as winded and dirty as she did, and she nodded her thanks.

Legolas returned the nod before looking past her at the number of felled beasts that had since piled up, and then at the dwindled numbers of their fellow elves, noting she had also acknowledged the same and they shared a look.

They had to fall back, and fast.

"Fall back to the keep!" Théoden called then, as if he had heard their thoughts, his words for Aragorn as he added, "Get your men out of there!"

"_Fall back!_" Aragorn relayed the command to the remaining elves with them between cutting down Uruks in his path, looking at Eäriel and Legolas as they helped him call their kinsmen back to the keep while doing the same. He looked to Haldir fighting on the far side of the wall, "_Haldir, to the keep!_" He cried, receiving a nod from the blonde before he then relayed the order to the remaining elves with him. He perked up as her head of brown streaked past him to run for the wall. "Eäriel!" He called.

She punted an Uruk away only to gut it with ease, meeting Haldir's gaze and nodding as she decided to help him by cutting down the beasts in their way. "_I have seen too many of my kin fall this night…!_" She declared, leaning back when another beast lashed out before she cleanly lopped the head off, ushering her kinsmen ahead of her when there was an opening. A burly Uruk nearly caught her head before its crude blade was blocked with a sharp swing from Haldir's sword; the beast gurgled in pain when she rammed both blades into its sternum from her reflexive bow.

Both elves shared a nod before they hurried after their comrades just as the rest of the Uruks were hot on their heels, and the elleth's heart soared as the prince was holding the door for them. Haldir and Eäriel darted into the hall just as Legolas and what elves remained slammed the doors shut before they began to accept whatever pieces of furniture that weren't rooted to the stone floor as well as broken boards to barricade themselves in when the Uruks threw their weight against it from the other side.

"The fortress is taken, it's over!" Théoden called wearily to the men barricading the doors.

Lifting another broken board to put it in the barricade, Aragorn retorted, "You said this fortress wouldn't fall while your men defended it; they _still_ defend it, they have _died_ defending it!"

Eäriel looked at the king from helping hand the boards to the men plus Legolas, Boromir, Haldir and Gimli and noticed he was tired of battle and if she dared to add, nearly ready to accept defeat; she jumped when the Uruks on the other side of the doors slammed their battering-ram particularly hard against the wood.

Boromir turned to the king and his wardens, "Is there no other way for the women and children to get out of the caves?"

Aragorn came forward when seeing the question hadn't seemed to spur the king from his dejected state, repeating, "Is there no other way?"

Gamling, the king's head warden, answered both men, "there is a way, it leads into the mountains… but they won't get far, the Uruks are too many."

"So much death… what can men do against such wanton hate?" Théoden asked of the room at large, his eyes on Aragorn.

"Make a stand." Boromir answered after a moment of uncomfortable silence, seeing the king lift his head slightly to look at him. He looked to Aragorn as a silent exchange went between both sets of green and blue eyes.

Aragorn nodded his head, "Ride out with me, and meet them." He stated slowly, looking at the king.

Théoden's dejection seemed to slowly evaporate the more their words soaked into his head, and he said, "For death and glory."

Eäriel looked at the nearby window, her eyes widening slightly at seeing the sun's warm light slowly creeping its way into the morning. "Aragorn, its dawn." She declared, a smile slowly spreading across her face, and she looked at both men with renewed excitement.

"Yes… the Horn of Helm Hammerhand shall sound in the Deep, one last time!" Théoden nodded, the elleth's excitement seeming contagious.

"_Yes!_" Gimli declared.

No sooner had the dwarf hurried to sound the horn did those who remained in the room readied their horses to make a final charge against the Uruks.

Aeglos' ears swiveled and she pawed the stone floor at sensing her rider's excitement, as said she-elf made sure both of her knives were ready to be of use again.

Eäriel flexed her grasp on the reins and looked over at Legolas as he made sure Gimli was secure on Arod's back before he felt her stare and blue met blue. She nodded to him with hint of a smile on her lips as she recalled that kiss in the armory…

"… Let this be the hour when we draw swords together… fell deeds await; now for wrath, ruin, and a red dawn!" Théoden's declaration drew her back to reality before a loud and deep horn blast erupted into the air and throughout the keep; the party charged forward just as the doors were shoved open from the other side.

Commanding her mare to hold fast, Eäriel drew her knives in a fluid gesture and swung down on the beasts on either side of her that sought to bring her down, soon leaving felled Uruks in her wake as she kept at Legolas' flank. Glancing about, she took comfort in seeing her comrades faring just as well as she was before she swung her right arm's blade so it severed the head of a tall Uruk at her flank.

On the far incline towards the east a neigh sounded, causing her and some of those with her that were in the middle of cutting down their foes to look and see a white horse leading the charge of a larger host.

Eäriel laughed in relief, "took you long enough!" She grinned at recognizing the mighty white steed and wizard who rode him along with the horse-lord host at his tail.

Together with the aid of the returned Rohirrim, they slew enough Uruks so that the cowardly stragglers fled as far as to the shaded edges of Fangorn Forest.

Bringing Aeglos to a halt, Eäriel looked at the treeline and watched with shock as the tops of the second or third layer of trees began shifting and moving about before cries and shrieks of dying Uruks filled the air as they were at last ended.

They were alive, after so long… She looked heavenward and smiled gratefully.

At last, the ending to a very long night had come.

_oO0Oo_

Small trickles of smoke rose up among the dead.

Stepping aside as two men walked past her carrying one of their felled soldiers on a litter, the elleth spotted the dwarf proudly seated atop a felled Uruk as the prince approached him from the stairwell.

"Forty-two is my final tally." Legolas stated rather proudly as he cleaned the head of one of his arrows.

Gimli arched both brows and replied coolly, "_'forty-two'!_ Now that's not too bad for a pointy-eared elvish princeling." He paused when the blonde's brow twitched and his smug look faltered before adding with a light '_thwack'_ to the dead beast, "I myself am sitting pretty on forty-three."

The beast twitched under him and Legolas let his arrow fly to hit the Uruk's throat; lowering the bow, he looked at the dwarf and stated with cheek, "forty-_three_."

"He was already dead."

"He was twitching!"

"_'He was twitching_' because he's got my axe _embedded_ in his nervous system!" Gimli laughed as he slapped a hand on the handle of his weapon, causing the beast's body to twitch again as the blade was lodged firmly in its skull.

Shaking her head as she stepped up to both friends, Eäriel laughed quietly. "Personally, Gimli, I prefer beheading them… s' a bit savage, but they die fast." She commented as she halted next to the prince.

Gimli huffed amusedly at her comment, "well lass, how many?"

Yanking the arrow from its place lodged in the Uruk's throat, Eäriel answered serenely while offering it to its owner, "forty-seven… but that's _not_ counting the ones on the ladders." She looked up at the prince with a tilt of her head.

Legolas' brow twitched again at being bested by her –he couldn't recall the last time she'd won against him at something, if he were to be fair—as he sincerely doubted that Gimli wasn't also surprised at her stumping them. "Best two out of three?" He wondered.

She snorted softly and gave him a dubious look, "Should I hold my breath?"

"I wouldn't, lass." Gimli smirked cheekily when Legolas shot him a look; Eäriel laughed.

* * *

an: _sorry i haven't updated guys! hope you guys don't hate me too bad.. a lot of stuff has been going on in my personal life so i haven't had much time to write.. anyway, so this ends the Two Towers and RoTK starts next chapter. read and review please, thanks guys! :)_


	15. prologue III

_prologue III_

* * *

The forest was less dense.

It had been a two day journey from Edoras to Fangorn Forest, although to her it felt like a one day journey instead for their party rode on through the night. As they at last exited the forest and reached the borders of Isengard, sunlight became clearer the further they put the darkened trees behind them.

The sun not only greeted the party with warmth but also with confirmation that their search had not ended in vain.

"Welcome, my lords and lady, to Isengard!" Merry happily greeted the party as he and Pippin were perched atop a felled stone wall with their pipes on hand and matching grins on their faces.

The she-elf grinned back at seeing them alive, laughing as Gimli scolded the two for worrying them so.

Once the two hobbits joined the party –Merry with Boromir astride Dan and Pippin with Aragorn astride Brego—they continued through the former grounds of Isengard, taking plenty note of the recent uprising of the Ents.

"Young Master Gandalf… I'm glad you've come." The Ent in which Gandalf had entrusted the hobbits' safety with, named Treebeard, approached the eight as he greeted the Istari, "Wood, water, stalk and stone I can master… but there is a wizard to manage as well, locked in his tower." His wooden face dropped a degree at mention of the other Istari.

A thin line graced his lips as Aragorn glanced up at the high black tower before them, "Show yourself…"

"Have care; even defeated, Saruman is still a threat." Gandalf advised the others.

Gimli huffed annoyedly, "let us have his head and be done with it."

"Unfortunately, we need him alive, Gimli." Eäriel reminded calmly, though by all rights she agreed with him.

All eyes then looked to the top of the tower as Saruman came forth.

He leaned a little on his staff as his gaze and words were for the king, "You've fought wars and slain many men, Théoden-King, and made peace afterward… Can we not speak as we once did, old friend, can we not have peace?" His voice was almost sweet as he requested this of the king, and Eäriel growled slightly at his taunt.

Jaw tense, the blonde king returned, "We will have peace… we will have it when you answer for the burning of the Westfold and the children that lay dead there! We will have it when the soldiers, whose bodies were mutilated even as they lay dying, will be avenged…! When you hang from the gods-forsaken gallows only to be made sport for your crows, _then_ we shall have peace." He carried the warmth of the coldest winter in his voice that rose a decibel, blue eyes promising a painful death to the fell wizard as they fixed on his wizened face.

Saruman's lip curled, "_'Gallows and crows'!_" He mocked, "You fool… And what of _you_, Gandalf Greyhame? Perhaps the Key of Orthanc, or the Keys of Barad-Dûr itself! Along with the crowns of the Seven Kings and the rods of the Five Wizards!" He spat as he turned his loathing on the other wizard.

"Your treachery has already cost many lives and now thousands more are at risk! You can save them, Saruman… You were deep in the enemy's council…" Gandalf began to propose in an even-toned voice.

Saruman sneered again, "Information is what you seek, then! I may have some for you after all…" He withdrew a blackened orb from his robes to let them behold, yet only Gandalf was the one who stiffened at seeing it, "Something festers in the heart of Middle-Earth, something _you_ have yet to see! Yet the Great Eye has seen it, and even now he presses his advantage; his attack will come soon, and you're all going to die." He vowed.

Eäriel's left hand rose to grab her bow before feeling a hand catch her sleeve, and she sharply looked at Boromir whose gray-blue eyes were just as disgruntled as hers.

Boromir knew she wanted to kill the wizard, but as she had said earlier, they needed him alive… _Unfortunately_. He held her piercing stare a moment longer before she relaxed and he drew his hand back to grip the reins, although he wanted moreso to grab the hilt of his sword instead.

"…Of course you know this, Gandalf. You couldn't hope to put everything on this mere Ranger, could you? This exile dredged up from the shadows will _never_ be crowned king!" Saruman stated, his words making Boromir bite back the urge to curse him, as he went on to a more fragile topic, "What hope did you give to the halfling, I wonder? Whatever path you set him on will only lead to death." He said coldly.

Gimli bristled at his words, "I've heard enough! Go on, one of you stick an arrow in his gob." He urged quietly as he looked between the two elves.

Gandalf reproached him with a shake of the head before adding to the other wizard, "Saruman, come down, and your life will be spared!" He promised.

"Save your pity and mercy, for I've no use for it!" Saruman snapped as he struck with his staff, casting a large ball of flames down as it encased Gandalf and Shadowfax in it, spooking one of the horses nearby.

Eäriel nocked an arrow in her bow she'd drawn on reflex, aiming up at the fell wizard before glancing at Gandalf to see the fireball die down around he and his steed; she was glad he was safe, but she still wanted to kill the other one.

"Your staff is broken, Saruman!" Gandalf declared, watching the black staff burst in the other wizard's grasp above.

Théoden perked up as a familiar black-clad worm inched into view above, calling, "Grima, you need not follow him anymore! You were not always as you are now, for you were once a man of Rohan. Come down!"

Saruman shot a cold look at said worm as he mocked again, "'_A man of Rohan'…!_ What is the house of Rohan but a thatched barn, where brigands drink their fill while their whelps roll about on the floor with the dogs! The victory at Helm's Deep does not belong to you, Théoden Horse-Master! You are a lesser son of greater sires!"

Ignoring the sting in the wizard's words thrown at him, Théoden set his gaze on the worm, "Come down, Grima… be free of him!"

"He will never be free as far as I'm concerned!" Saruman declared before turning to strike Grima when hearing his words of defiance.

Gandalf tried again, "Saruman, you were deep in the enemy's council; tell us what you know!"

"Relax your guard and I will tell you where your doom lies! I will not be held prisoner here…" Saruman started to curse him before being cut off when Grima lunged at him from behind and stabbed him with a concealed dagger.

An arrow from Legolas and Eäriel's bows flew to stick themselves in his ribs then, knocking him back, as Saruman fell off the tower in his shocked state. The elleth's nose wrinkled as the fell wizard's body was then impaled on one of the pikes of the turning mill and dragged down into the murky waters.

"The filth of Saruman is washing away…" Treebeard declared pensively, "Trees will come back here, young and wild trees…"

A splash sounded then, and Aragorn looked at the younger hobbit who had hopped off the horse's back to approach an object that had fallen from Saruman's robes. "Pippin?" He began warily as the other lifted the object to show it was the orb –a Palantir as she had heard Gandalf call them, a seeing stone—Saruman had boasted of earlier.

Gandalf approached the curious hobbit, "Peregrin Took, I will take that!" He offered his hand to him and accepted the seeing stone from the hobbit's somewhat-hesitant hands, quickly tucking it into a loose piece of cloth and keeping it on his person.

Eäriel shook her head as white noise began to fill her ears, and she frowned at the remnant from the fell wizard before following her comrades out of the grounds.

She had a bad feeling about that Palantir.

_oO0Oo_

Éomer regarded both contestants, "No pauses and no spills!" He said as he placed two mugs of ale down before them.

"And no regurgitation!" A tipsy Gimli chimed as he was more than eager to start.

"It's a drinking game, then?" Legolas asked as he looked at Éomer.

Gimli bobbed his head in a nod, "Last one standing wins!" He then downed his ale like any self-respecting dwarf would.

Rolling his eyes when the dwarf wasn't looking, Legolas took a whiff of the contents in his own mug before following his friend's lead.

Having slipped through the merry crowd, Eäriel appeared after the third round of drinks as she stopped shy of Éomer's right. Pertaining to her standing as an elf-lord's daughter, she had donned a gown like that of Éowyn's save hers was more blue than green and left her brown hair free, now watching her two comrades down their fourth round of ale with an amused look. She had looked to see Aragorn speaking with Éowyn on her way over to the elf and dwarf –she and the other woman had gotten along well since the aftermath at Helm's Deep, talking of this or that but mainly of the middle ground between them that was combat practice they had both partaken of in younger years—; she didn't see where Boromir and Gandalf had gone, though at hearing Merry and Pippin's singing almost clear across the hall, she found she didn't need to guess for too long.

"You seem better than when we met." Éomer said, his comment drawing her from her thoughts, and he caught her glance his way before he nodded at her person.

Eäriel shrugged and smiled wryly at him, "As do you… Though I see it didn't take much for you to drag these two into a competition." She nodded slightly with her chin at the elf and dwarf, chuckling when the lattermost belched loudly.

"…S' the dwarves that go swimming with little hairy women!" Gimli slurred as they were reaching the end of their fifth round.

Legolas glanced down at his hand, "There's a slight tingling in my fingers… I think it's affecting me." He said, completely sober in comparison to the dwarf, as he looked to the horse-lord.

Gimli wagged a finger at him, "W-what'd I say; he can't hold his liquor…!" He trailed off as his eyes went crossed and he then fell back and off the bench.

Eäriel snorted as they then heard him begin snoring in his stupor.

Legolas shrugged innocently at his inevitable win, "Game over." He said.

Éomer looked at the elleth who inspected one of the mugs and sniffed the inside of it, "Are _all_ wood-elves as tolerant?" He asked. He had been rather surprised she was a rather amicable elf in comparison to when they had met a short time ago and had since found talking with her to be interesting.

"Not all, actually… I can hold my own after a few rounds, but Legolas is more tolerant. Although I think we're _both_ more tolerant than his wine-bibbing father." Eäriel wrinkled her nose as she lowered the mug, glancing at said ellon when the horse-lord scoffed amusedly, "Legolas was able to outdrink any elf who dared challenge him back in the Woodland Realm." Of course he did it to be sociable rather than as a hobby, in comparison to his father again.

"Didn't bother informing Gimli of that, did you? Or were you trying to help me win?" Legolas wondered as he met her gaze, a smirk on his lips.

Eäriel rolled her eyes, "Yes of _course_, darling, I had sincerely hoped you would win against poor Gimli." She said sardonically, receiving a loud snort from the snoring dwarf. She looked between the two blondes with a small smile before turning to leave their company in favor of some time to herself, as she had scarcely come upon such opportunity in the last count of months.

She still felt a measure of guilt towards the number of elves that had come to help them at the keep, especially as they were from her mother's side, even though Haldir and six of his comrades had outlasted that long night. She looked up at the stars that dotted the night sky – she had stepped out of the hall as she could only handle being merry for so long before she needed to breathe free air— and exhaled slightly, murmuring a prayer of everlasting peace for her fallen kin to the gods she had once begged miracles from a century ago, lowering her gaze.

_oO0Oo_

A raven's caw resounded like white noise somewhere in her eardrums as she tossed and turned, fingers curling into balled fists, her upper lip curling to reveal her clenched teeth.

"_Amrâlimê_." His familiar rumbling voice whispered in her ear...

"**Thorin**!" Blue eyes snapping open, Eäriel sat upright in bed with Hathelas –which had been propped against her bed post earlier when she had gone to sleep—drawn and pointed forward. Her chest heaved with labored breathing and her heart ached awfully as her piercing eyes searched the darkness of the guest room. Hearing and seeing nothing after a long minute or so, and with another glance around to confirm the obvious, she lowered the sword to sheathe it.

Propping the sword against her bedpost, she closed her eyes and groaned softly, rubbing her closed lids with the heels of her palms until she saw colorful stars and the backs of her eyes stung. She swallowed the painful lump that had formed in her throat and sank back into her pillows with another groan, turning onto her left to face the wall.

She was a _fool_, a lovestruck fool –after all these years!— to even believe that _he_ was still alive…

A call for Gandalf sounded from one of the men's sleeping quarters, yanking her from the beginning depths of grief as it perked her sharp ears.

The elleth leapt to her feet with Hathelas on hand as she dashed out of the room to follow the commotion and find Pippin writhing on the floor in silent pain with his fingers clutched tight to the Palantir.

"Pippin!" She breathed as she dropped the sword in surprise, mentally cursing the curious hobbit's tendency to investigate, looking as Aragorn, Boromir and Legolas darted into the room with the Ranger rushing to yank the seeing stone from the hobbit's hands. She hurried to his side when he then dropped the orb as the cursed thing tried to cause him pain too, to which Gandalf then threw a blanket atop the stone that rolled on the floor and silenced the tension in the room in one hit. The familiar visage of an ailing king she had loved more than life itself briefly replaced Aragorn in her eyes, and the elleth drew away as if she had grabbed a burning log. "_No!_" Her voice sounded like a hoarse moan as she instinctively fled the room.

"Eäriel?" A voice sounded behind her as the owner's calloused hand grabbed hold of her left arm and made her stop as her shoulders slightly shook. He looked back at the room before looking back at her and adding, "Everything is all right now, Pippin is fine…"

"Then explain why he has been _haunting_ me!" She snapped, her voice an exclamation more than a question, as she glared at him with tears beginning to show in her eyes, "I never expected to lose… _him_, I never expected this quest to destroy that cursed trinket to remind me how _weak_ I was that I could not save my king! I… I can't be expected to wade into a war _without_ fearing that I will fail again, that I will lose in the end…" She trailed off with a sniff when his hand that had grabbed her sleeve lifted to tip up her lowered chin, the tears that had begun to show now slightly leaking from the corners of her piercing eyes.

"Yet you are _not_ weak!" Boromir declared, lowering his hand and letting her look elsewhere to rub her nose gingerly with a finger, and he slightly shook his head as he continued in her silence, "If it is _anything_ I've witnessed on this quest is that all of the stories were true, when I met you, Eäriel. You are in fact, strong despite your fears… And if you don't believe me, ask them." He caught her soft and confused gaze in his stubborn metallic eyes before gesturing to their comrades behind him that had crowded in the hall.

Looking to their friends, from Gandalf down to Gimli, she remembered that morning on a little jetty in Laketown when she confessed the same issue to Thorin, and she was amazed again at the assurance of those closest to her… Eäriel slowly smiled and her ears tingled at being the center of attention, as she sniffed again. "Lads." She greeted.

* * *

an: _so starts RoTK, i know it isn't exactly to the letter to what goes on in the movie, but a little bit of nepotism never hurt did it? r&amp;r please, thanks guys! :)_


	16. Lions

_Lions_

* * *

"There was no lie in Pippin's eyes… Granted he _is_ foolish, but he's at least honest." Gandalf said while slightly pacing as he addressed the king the next morning; looking briefly at said hobbit who sat in a chair by Merry on the left, he continued, "he told Sauron nothing of Frodo or the Ring, therein leaving us strangely fortunate… The fact that Pippin saw through the seeing stone proves one thing: Sauron will strike Minas Tirith." His revelation earned a glance from Boromir. "His defeat at Helm's Deep proves one thing, that the heir of Elendil has resurfaced and men are not as weak as he thinks… He now knows there is courage that remains, strength even, to challenge him! Sauron does fear this, indeed, and he won't risk the folk of Middle-Earth uniting under one banner… He will raze Minas Tirith to the ground before he sees a king retake the throne of Gondor! If her beacons are lit, then Rohan _must_ be ready for war." He finished sharply when catching the thin line that graced the king's lips.

"Tell me," Théoden began quietly, "_why_ should we ride to the aid of those who didn't aid us… what do _we_ owe Gondor?" He looked to the wizard, catching the elleth's quick grab for Boromir's wrist when he bristled at her side.

There was a heavy pause before one of the two men spoke.

"I will go." Aragorn proposed quietly.

Gandalf shook his head, "No."

"My –_our_—people must be warned, Gandalf! Send me instead, my father will listen to our plight." Boromir chimed in with a renewed surge of anger towards their enemy beginning to lace his voice.

Eäriel scowled between him and Aragorn, "_Neither_ of you are going!" She received a confused look from the latter and a curious glance from the former as she continued, "Aragorn would be laughed out of the courts if he went, or worse… And Boromir, you have yet to inform your father that you survived Amon-Hen so striding into his halls alive and well would be a _very_ unwise idea. Besides, you're both needed here… Isn't that right, old friend?" She finished patiently with an exhale as she looked to the white wizard.

Gandalf nodded in both thanks to her wisdom as well as her cue, agreeing, "Quite right indeed… I have a more appropriate plan which I will discuss with you two later." He nodded to both Eäriel and Aragorn, continuing as he addressed Théoden, "Now understand this; things have been set in motion that cannot be undone… I ride for Minas Tirith, but I will by _no_ means go alone!" His blue eyes fell on the younger hobbit present.

Although the end of the meet didn't sit too well with Théoden, he agreed to it nonetheless and dismissed the odd group.

"What is this mysterious plot you've got, Gandalf?" Eäriel wondered with a half sigh as she walked with him to the stables for Shadowfax, Aragorn at her side and Merry and Pippin talking amongst themselves at the tail.

Gandalf chuckled at her word usage, gently patting her back, "It is by no means a mystery, my dear, and I'm quite sure your brothers know it almost as well as I." He looked to Aragorn and continued on a more serious tone, "you will come to Minas Tirith by following the river… Look to the black ships coming from the south." He received two nods from both man and elf. He smiled knowingly on the two, "I will do what I can while in the city awaiting your arrival." He finished before looking back at the hobbits, "now then, hurry it along, Peregrin Took!" He declared as he stepped into the stables first.

Aragorn gave a look to the two hobbits as they hurried after the wizard, looking to his friend as they returned to the hall, "You usually don't take to mothering." He said.

"Someone had to say it, didn't they?" Eäriel folded her arms at her chest, giving him a look before adding in Sindarin, "_besides, you would leave Éowyn very upset if you went off to Gondor only to be laughed or thrown out of their halls_."

"_Surely you know the status of that by now_." Aragorn stopped short of the stairs to regard her knowingly.

Eäriel paused and glanced at the pendant around his neck that glinted sunlight once or twice, exhaling, "_I know… But I still believe she waits for you, despite your row that last morning in Rivendell_." She looked to him as her blue met his green.

Aragorn held her stare for a moment before he made a face, "_I knew you heard that_." He lamented before ascending the stairs, hearing her soft snort of amusement as she followed him.

_oO0Oo_

Smoke danced in thin trails into the mid-morning air from his pipe.

It had been but a week or so since the hobbits had parted ways again, and he would admit Merry looked lonely when he thought noone noticed, as he felt like they had separated twins from the other's company.

"Merry seems to be faring well enough." He glanced to the side as she came to join him while donning her green coat, and she added as she stood against the nearby post, "It's not as though this is the first time we are three short of a full quartet of halflings." She smiled wryly at that.

He nodded an agreement before looking up when catching a light on the mountain ridge past Edoras' borders, his eyes widening in surprise. "Pippin." He said as he recognized the beacon, the orange and red flames of the signal a stark contrast to the blues of the horizon, looking to the elleth who had followed his gaze with hope making them both grin at their luck. He then ran for the hall at top speed and heard her shortly follow as they raced up the stairs.

"The beacons are lit!" Aragorn called when they entered the hall, rousing those present as man and elf skidded to a halt before the king and his wardens, slightly winded from the run.

Eäriel looked to Boromir, "Gondor calls for aid!" She half-panted half-laughed, watching shock and relief brighten his bearded face, before she looked to Théoden with hope present again in her gaze.

Pausing for a moment, Théoden gave a nod to the two messengers, "And Rohan will answer… muster the Rohirrim!" He ordered as he looked to his nephew and wardens.

Éomer nodded back, briefly meeting his sister's gaze, before shortly leaving the hall to summon his men.

"My lord Théoden!" A bearded guard entered the hall then, addressing the king as he finished, "Two dwarves have entered the city, along with what appears to be a she-elf." He informed.

Théoden looked surprised before looking to the lone she-elf who nearly spirited out of the hall and out the doors to welcome her expected friends, being met with a rather puzzled look from Aragorn and Boromir as Gimli and Legolas shortly followed the elleth.

"_Muindyr!_" Eäriel cried as she had raced down the hillside and along the streets when recognizing the odd trio that earned a glance from those who passed them by. She immediately recognized the familiar head of blonde and dark brown and was not surprised when both dwarves broke away to embrace her, making her slightly stumble at their collective force before she hugged back just as fiercely.

It felt as though all of her frustration regarding their uncle's "visits" in her dreams melted away and she was a younger elf, fresh from the restraints of the Woodland Realm and free again, embracing two small dwarfling princes who had bestowed her with a crown of wildflowers. Her heart ached awfully at the memory of a sweeter time, and she reluctantly drew away to regard the princes.

Fili looked more like his uncles now than ever, it seemed, save his gaze was kinder than theirs, and while he wasn't wearing the crown, his attire –a more regal sort in comparison to the attire he wore a century ago—spoke in its absence.

Kili hadn't aged much of a day in her opinion –save his beard was grown to look like Thorin's had— and he still looked more like his mum, and his attire was much like his brother's as it too spoke in the absence of his crown.

Yet they weren't dwarflings anymore, she had to remember, for Fili was king now and Kili was his advisor as well as next in line for the throne… If there was a throne _left_, after all this, that is.

"We hadn't expected to meet with you so soon…" Fili said with a slight laugh.

Kili agreed, "Given it's only been months since we saw each other! Yet we got your message, and…" His bright brown eyes sombered and he glanced down at his scuffed boots.

Eäriel nodded, "It would be wise if we moved this to the hall." She gently gripped both brothers by the shoulder and smiled on them.

_oO0Oo_

"The orcs came, nearly caught us by surprise, a week ago. We rallied our forces along with the men from Dale and met them, and we would've bested those beasts if we weren't ambushed from the skies." A haunted look graced his bearded face and the blonde fiddled with one of the small braids in his mustache as he continued, "blessedly there was only three, but with their arrival, the orcs regrouped with another smaller host brought by the Nazgûl and overpowered us… Kili, Tauriel and myself were lucky enough to flee."

The brunette dwarf's fingers clenched and unclenched as he added, "one of the Wraiths killed Brand, the king of Dale. Snatched in the jaws of that dragon-snake… Uncle Thorin did everything he could to make sure Erebor was ours, our home, again… And we failed him." He looked up from under his brow at the redhead dwarf who sat by him and nodded grimly in empathy.

A silence fell on the hall per respect for the dwarves' ill fortune.

"How did you know?" The second she-elf asked quietly, breaking the silence minutes later, and her green eyes met the other's blue. "Your raven flew in not an hour after we received news about the orcs… You weren't in Rivendell, so you can't have possibly known about the attack."

The brunette she-elf fiddled with her piercing. "This might sound mad, but I… Thorin, he came to me in my dreams the night before I sent the raven." Surprised silence met her words and she swallowed before continuing, "He came to warn me, about Fili and Kili. '_Do not let them meet my fate. Save them!_', he said. I knew, we both knew," she gestured to the blonde elf, "that Sauron would eventually strike Erebor to therein gain control over the east. If I had sent that raven sooner…" She trailed off and shook her head as guilt began to gnaw at her conscious again.

"Yet you saved us, Eäriel… That's what counts, doesn't it?" Fili reminded, meeting her slightly surprised gaze before it softened at his reminder. "We were ready to defend Erebor, again, yet now I realize we were meant to defend more than just our home." He stated with determination.

Kili nodded, "We'll take it back from the orcs, and at least they don't have a dragon." He hoped, anyway.

"We would recommend that you two stay in the city, but from what Eäriel has told me, that would be a foolish request to make." Aragorn admitted, looking to their elleth who smiled wryly at him.

Tauriel chuckled, "Quite foolish, actually."

* * *

an:_ less fluff in this chapter, i know, i apologize.. but hey! the boys are back~ also i must apologize for the shorter chap, it wasn't intentional. oh and many thanks to **Death's Apostle** for the latest fav/follow; interesting pen name by the way! _

_so lads and lasses, r&amp;r if you please?_


	17. Heroes I

_Heroes I_

* * *

The sound of blades singing thrummed in the late afternoon air as both companions sparred.

He blocked a sharp jab on reflex, looking up at her piercing eyes that had steeled a smidge, and the small braids on his beard twitched with a smile as he shoved her off only to strike at her belly.

She sidestepped his counter and thrust her arm out so the sharper side of her blade lightly touched his jugular, watching him stiffen in place before his blue eyes lifted to meet hers.

His sobered face shifted to a softened sort as he watched her draw her arm back, and the blonde grinned at his old friend. "Not sure you quite explained why you challenged me in the first place." He said as he sheathed his sword.

"I had hoped the throne hadn't made you rusty, and as luck would have it," The brunette returned her knife to its place at her back, "I had nothing to fret over." She returned the grin.

The training Thorin had put he and his brother through surely had not gone to waste.

"Pretty sure we've been trying to tell you that for the last hundred years." His brother said jovially from his seat on a log with the other elleth on the sidelines.

Tauriel met her fellow elleth's gaze before elbowing the prince, "And for the last hundred years neither Eäriel or I have believed that coming from you, darling." She chuckled when he pouted at her.

"Six thousand arms, then," Fili commented, accepting the cloth from his brother when he and the other elf joined the lovers, as he wiped his face of perspiration.

Eäriel puffed, "It's not ten thousand, and despite what the king says, I do not see more arms coming before dawn." She chimed in.

They had left Edoras a few days ago now, riding through the Eastfold to make camp further south in the mountains to greet and rally the men who answered Gondor's call of aid, counting and holding six thousand spears. Théoden still held hope that more would come rally with them, but the hunters five plus their friends did not see the same thing.

Now that the sun was retiring for the moon to take his place, dawn seemed to come ever closer.

_oO0Oo_

Tauriel glanced at the door of their tent again.

When it came time for the camp to sleep, she had thought to invite Éowyn to camp with them in their tent as it would fit three and they were virtually the only females within the camp of overall-males, before Eäriel shot her a look to quell the invitation before she could voice it. She looked over at her friend who had her back turned to her as she didn't wish for anything more than sleep… of course she wasn't being very subtle.

"_Why did you not let her join us?_" She asked in their tongue. She knew beyond anything that her tent-mate was in fact wide awake.

Eäriel silently cursed the redhead's intuition, recognizing again that they had indeed known each other for too long, and she replied in like, "_She is the king's niece, I'm sure he had a special tent brought for her from Edoras_."

"Gwathel." The redhead groaned slightly in exasperation.

Exhaling, the brunette shifted to face her, "_Aragorn doesn't see her the way she sees him… She is chasing a vain hope and I do not want to be the one to tell her that he still loves Arwen_." She explained softly.

Tauriel was quiet as she listened to her before she sat up in bed and sighed patiently, "_Then let him tell her, you are not responsible for whatever her reaction is to be_." She reasoned.

"_I know, but she is my friend too_…" Eäriel trailed off at the sound of quiet footsteps approaching their tent, sitting up as well when the redhead reflexively reached for one of her blades nearby.

"Neither of you are being very subtle." A familiar voice declared outside the tent.

Both she-elves shared a look before the brunette trodded to the door to find her brothers standing there.

"What on earth are you doing here?" Eäriel laughed slightly as she stepped out to speak with them and hearing Tauriel slip out afterward, hugging the twins.

"_Adar_ needed an escort," Elrohir shrugged.

Elladan finished, "And we heard on the wind that you lot were going to storm the Pelennor fields."

"**As usual, you can't go into battle without us**." Both twins declared in unison.

Tauriel caught the sideways look on the other elleth's face and chuckled. "Lord Elrond came all this way, then? It must be dire if he's left Rivendell." She noted.

Eäriel frowned slightly when the twins' cheeky demeanor sobered at mention of their father, and she nodded, "He is in the king's tent, isn't he?" At receiving a slight nod from her brothers, she exhaled and nodded more to herself. It was rather chilly now that she noticed as she went to the king's tent, making goosepimples ripple across her skin as she wove around the other tents and horses to the intended one closer to the rocky cliffside.

Arriving at the king's tent, she blew loose strands from her brow before clearing her throat, "Milord, I was sent here by my brothers…" She began from outside the tent.

"Enter." Théoden called, to which she slipped into his tent lit by a small fire in the middle.

Eäriel beamed at recognizing the elf-lord who turned to greet her when she entered. "Uncle!" She said as she stepped forward to embrace him.

A relieved smile crossed his lips as Elrond returned the gesture without hesitation, glad to see his former charge.

Smiling at the happy reunion between the elves, Théoden decided to give them a moment as he stepped out of the tent.

"What possessed you to find us?" She asked as they drew away.

"The twins escorted me here to ensure you were all right." He smiled wryly at her chuckle before his face sombered as he continued, "You've heard nothing from your sister, then… I originally sent her to the Grey Havens a week ago, yet she returned. The light of the Eldar is all but gone from her, Eäriel… I did not wish to tell you, but it would not be any easier if you had heard it from your brothers." He watched her blue eyes darken with something akin to horror and sadness as she looked elsewhere. "I am sorry, Eäriel."

"She returned because of Aragorn." She whispered, not looking at him but at her sister's gentle and kind face she had known for as long as she had been alive, and she shook her head. "It is not gone entirely, though, is it? There's still hope for Arwen! There must be… Uncle, please tell me there is, even if it is a shred." She looked to him for some sort of good news if he even had that much.

Telling her of her sister's fate seemed to make him look his age.

Elrond afforded a small smile at her request, "There is, yes. Her fate is tied to that of the Ring, as I am sure you guessed… Aragorn leads you to war but the cost of your loss, should that happen, is great." He explained.

Eäriel swallowed even as another wave of goosepimples rolled across her skin at the horrible thought of her sister's demise caused by their failure, and she inhaled steadily. "**If** we lose. We will not lose, not to Sauron… I have lost enough, I will _not_ lose Arwen too." She reminded both he and her nerves, looking at him with determination replacing the apprehension in her eyes.

Recognizing the determined look in her eyes, he nodded slightly and stepped closer to tousle her brown hair with relief and fondness present in his green eyes. "I first thought it was unwise to let you join the others in destroying the Ring, that perhaps you were not emotionally ready to wade into this final war, yet now I see. Once again you have proven yourself to be the iron-clad warrior you always were… Húldaer would be proud." It was not often he spoke of her father in front of her, as it seemed to remind her of the last time she had seen her father who had been as iron-clad in will and fast in friendship as her, yet he would admit she took after him more than she did Elenathiel.

Tears burned the backs of her eyes as she nodded back and smiled on her former guardian, hearing someone enter the tent behind her, and they broke stares to see Aragorn had also been summoned.

She sniffed and rubbed her nose as she quietly excused herself from the tent at seeing her friend was present to speak with her former guardian, slipping out into the night. She looked up at the stars as her nerves began to surmount against her again, and she hugged herself before exhaling weakly to walk to one of the tents only several yards away from hers.

It did not take elf ears to hear snoring coming from the tent, and she stopped short of the door to softly whistle a signal.

Not a few minutes later did the blonde elf step out into the night to find her standing there in the cold, and his piercing eyes recognized the swell of emotions behind her equally-piercing eyes with ease. Wordlessly the prince approached her and took her in his arms, hearing her sharp inhale as her slender hands clawed at his back and she buried her face into his shoulder.

The two stood there in the dark for what felt like hours.

"Yet you will not fail her," he reminded quietly, having listened to her recount to him the meeting between she and Elrond, running his fingers through her thick locks, "I know how much you love her, I watched her bring you out of your grief… If anything, I know she is resilient." He said.

She sniffed again, eyes closed as she felt him brush her hair away from her pointed ears, nodding, "It has been too long since you held me like this." She mused more to herself.

Legolas quieted at her change of topic before he chuckled slightly, "A few centuries if memory serves." He heard her exhale and drew away a little to look on her, "We were more foolish then, more reckless…"

"Love-struck elflings… And now again it seems, doesn't it?" Eäriel hummed quietly, smiling tentatively.

Yet they were mature now than they were then, and it was mainly on her part that they took it slow. There was less pressure too, he remembered, to marry and unite both realms.

Legolas smiled back, looking past her to see Aragorn having emerged from the king's tent to go to where the horses rested and he frowned slightly, "We must go." He declared as he met her gaze that had followed his.

Eäriel nodded and chastely kissed him, "We will meet you shortly." She then turned to her tent to gather her weapons plus tent-mate.

It wasn't long before she and Tauriel grouped with Legolas, Gimli and Boromir plus Fili and Kili and the twins to get the horses ready and meet Aragorn as he was leaving for the Dimholt Road with Brego in tow.

"This time you must stay, Gimli." Aragorn said to the dwarf as he was first to greet the former.

Legolas poked his head in, "you obviously remember nothing of the stubbornness of dwarves."

"Or men." Boromir agreed as he came to Aragorn's other side and clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"As if we were going to let you go off alone again… Didn't turn out well last time, did it?" Eäriel said as she and Tauriel came into view with Aeglos with the twins and Fili and Kili their own horses and ponies.

Aragorn regarded them and exhaled wearily before nodding his head to his intended path. He led the way for his odd party into the darkened pass without another word of protest.

Mostly because he would be outnumbered if he were to demand his friends stay behind.

_oO0Oo_

The road was lonely despite the ten that traveled deeper into the mountains. The silence around them was uneasy if not nearly deafening.

"What sort of army would live here?" Gimli wondered at large of his companions, shooting a look at the gray cliffsides on either side of their path, as he asked the question Tauriel and Kili also held in mind.

Boromir shared a look with Aragorn as the two rode at the helm; Elrohir and Elladan also glanced at the mountainsides on both sides.

"A cursed one." Eäriel replied with a rather lamenting tone, looking to Legolas as they rode side by side.

Legolas nodded, "the men of the mountains swore an oath, long ago, to the last king of Gondor to come to his aid. But when the time came and Gondor needed their aid, they fled, vanishing into the dark of the mountains. Isildur cursed them then, making it so they were never to rest until they fulfilled their oath." He explained and allowed a grim silence to swell amongst their party.

Eäriel slightly squared her shoulders as her nerves began to gnaw at her, exhaling softly, "_'Who should call them from the Grey Twilight? The forgotten folk… the heir of he whom they swore to. He will come from the north on need, he will pass the door to the paths of the dead_…'" She caught the curious glances from Fili and Kili and answered simply, "_Ada_ told me the story once." Of course, it had scared her when he had recited the tale, but she was an elfling then.

Silence ensnared the ten once more as they continued, and they reached a break in the gray rock that served to be another path that was narrow with the branches of dead trees reaching out to them from the sides of the mountain. They dismounted their steeds with some reluctance as Aragorn led them further down, until at last he halted a yard or so away from a tall and dark doorway.

"I think we found it…" Kili gulped as he looked around Gimli at the doorway, gripping the reins for his pony when feeling the short steed fidget at his side.

Gimli agreed in a rather hushed voice, "it feels as though my blood's run cold…"

"_'The way is shut; it was made by those who are dead_.'" Legolas recited as he read the runes carved above the doorway.

Eäriel swallowed as she too read them and finished, "_'And the dead keep it… The way is shut_.'"

A strange cold gust of wind suddenly blew on them from within the darkness of the entrance, making their steeds startle and then flee the path at top speed.

Fear began to claw at her subconscious as she heard Boromir grip his sword's handle near her, and Eäriel looked down at her left hand to gingerly pry it from the hilt of Hathelas before she looked to their leader as another gust played with her hair.

Steeling himself from the same sense of fear she felt, Aragorn said stubbornly, "I am not afraid of death." And with that, he strode into the mountain.

Boromir didn't hesitate to follow at his heels.

Eäriel inhaled and perked up when his hand found hers, and she met the blonde's piercing eyes that held hers before she nodded firmly. Both she and Legolas followed the men.

"That is unheard of! Two elves willingly going underground when three dwarves will not!" Gimli said in shock.

Kili nodded to him, asking his remaining companions, "Should we wait here, then…?"

"Oh come _on_." Elrohir rolled his eyes as he and Elladan pushed both dwarves into the darkness.

Fili and Tauriel quickly followed them even as Kili gave a last protest to the twins' forcefulness.

* * *

an: _guess i didn't do too badly if this is updated within less than a month.. lol elsewise hi guys, hope you're doing okay. oh and many thanks to **CaraAnameleth** and **monseTS** for the latest follows! r&amp;r and until next time, lates._


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